Machoke's match had ended and once again, things had taken a turn for the better. Another villain had been defeated and even learned her lesson. And on that note, Machoke was going to be representing Japan and his family in the finals.

Once Gardevoir returned to a conscious state, a big smile crossed her face as she was finally able to devote full concentration to her training. Psyla had her resume her palm punches for the time being as she felt it was too soon to move onward.

However, the peace would not last a long time as everyone knew Garchomp and Lucario still had their match to finish. As such, Machoke exited the ring while the stone fragments were being cleared out by the staff. For whatever reason, Beedrill had decided to have both matches take place in this one location as opposed to separating the two. But of course they would need a little time to prepare, especially with there being a hole in the mat.

Machoke simply took a seat next to the others and let out a deep sigh as Reika patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You were great out there," Machoke grinning and asking, "Good enough for a kiss?" the girl rolling her eyes as Cici pursed her lips, knowing it was not her place to speak the truth right now.

At this very moment, Garchomp and Lucario had gotten up from their seats, the two headed off to prepare for their match. Both shot each-other a serious glance before carrying on, Amanda all the while looking at her brother with uncertainty. She wanted to support him and cheer him on, but after how vicious he was during his match against Metang, she was at odds with her feelings right now.

Clauncher on the other hand was more than excited for the match and, like before, was sitting among the British fans despite being American. After all, she saw no reason to separate those of other nationalities from the British fanbase if she was rooting for the same fighter.

"I hope you're all excited for the match that's about to take place!" Beedrill exclaimed, "This is it, folks, the one that will decide who will face off in the finals! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!" Machoke turning to his friends and saying, "You know, I'm starting to forget what his old personality was like. I've gotten used to this one."

"Now, like before, there will be a gimmick for this one," Beedrill added, "though this was one of my choosing. I feel it'll really help spice things up between these two warriors," the audience getting more and more excited every second. It always seemed as if Lucario's matches were the ones with the most hype despite so far having all been the shortest.

"Now, while we are having this match soon, we will be taking a ten-minute recess," the wasp explained, "So if anyone needs to go to the bathroom or what-have-you, now's the time to do it," the others turning to Machoke as he shrugged and replied, "No, I'm good. I went not too long ago," Aipom looking down at his speedo and sighing, "You're coming with me," the monkey getting up and pulling on the side of his clothing as he sighed, "Okay, okay, no need to use force," rising from his seat and joining her.

During this time, Lucario was using his ten minutes to get in some last-minute training. He was certain he could win without relying on underhanded tactics this time. After all, he did not want to upset Amanda and make her think he was switching back to the dark side.

The dog noticed a mirror and looked into it before asking, "So, Dad, how am I doing? Am I finally worthy of the family name?"

Once the ten minutes were up, Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, everyone, it's finally time for the match to decide the second finalist! It's been a long and intense ride, but it's certainly been fun and exciting!" the crowd cheering in agreement as the wasp added, "Nori, you ready to introduce the fighters?"

The woman nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, fighting for Russia is a fearsome dragon with incredible strength! She has amazed and wowed audiences by shattering a hard suit of armour and overpowering Gardevoir! I am of course talking about Garchomp!" the Russian fans going wild as the dragon sprinted toward the ring, propelling herself high into the air before landing firmly against the canvas.

Nori then proceeded to state, "And in the blue corner, England's representative is a true force to be reckoned with! He's ploughed his way through the first two rounds, so far having defeated his opponents more quickly than everyone else! The son of and, in my humble opinion, a worthy successor to Riolu, Lucario!" the British fans breaking out into heavy cheering as the dog performed a series of flips toward the ring, propelling himself high into the air and spinning vertically before landing gracefully, his arms spread out and one of his knees touching the mat.

Amanda had to admit that was his best entrance yet as she exclaimed, "YOU GO, BROTHER!" Lucario giving her thumbs up as Clauncher waved her arms around, shouting, "YOU ARE AWESOME!"

Aipom stared at the two fighters and said, "Now, Machoke, you'd better pay attention. You'll be facing the winner of this match," the boy rolling his eyes and remarking, "Yeah, yeah, I know," the boy actually much more focused than he seemed. After all, both these fighters scared him immensely and he needed to learn their techniques so he would be ready for either one.

But just as the match was about to begin, Beedrill stated, "Before we start, we need to introduce the gimmick for this match," the wasp then pressing a red button in front of him as suddenly, the ring rose up on a pole, soon two stories above the floor.

The crowd stared in silence as Beedrill explained, "This is what I like to call a skyscraper match! The only way out of the ring during this match is to fall off the edge, and since neither fighter can possibly return to the ring, whoever touches the floor first will lose by ring-out!"

"Is he sure Weedle didn't come up with this?" Machoke asked with a disturbed look on his face as Aipom replied, "To be fair, this isn't nearly as bad as the stone."

Garchomp and Lucario, on the other hand, did not look in the least bit intimidated by this. In fact, both saw it as a good test of their abilities, so they had no complaints whatsoever. And Machoke had no reason to complain either as he was done fighting in that ring.

Amanda, on the other hand, was worried as Clauncher patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry. If I know your bro, he'll be okay," the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, he should be fine."

With that, the bell was finally rung as Lucario wasted no time sprinting toward Garchomp. The dragon's eyes widened as the dog immediately started sending an onslaught of karate chops and kicks into her gut, the dragon swinging her arm at his head only for the dog to duck under it. After that, he proceeded to ram his head into the very spot he had been hitting so far while the British fans went wild, Garchomp backing up with a look of annoyance on her face.

"I have to admit, I was not prepared for that," the dragon said as Lucario replied, "Sorry for not giving you time, but after seeing how strong you are, I have no intention of letting myself get hit by you so easily," Garchomp smirking and replying, "Smart lad."

Amanda took a deep breath and said, "At least he's not going too far this time," Clauncher exclaiming, "Yeah! Way to go, Lucario! Keep it up!"

"Things are already off to a great start for Lucario," Nori stated, "In no time flat, he has already managed to hit Garchomp multiple times. Will this match end quickly or does Garchomp have a way to make up for this early disadvantage?"

The dragon took a deep breath as Lucario was ready for more only for Garchomp to rush at him with her arms held back. She sent them forward in an X formation when she got close only for Lucario to lean backward, dodging both and sending a hard kick to the dragon's chin. Garchomp's eyes widened as she found herself unable to respond to what Lucario did next, the dog using his hands to propel himself off the mat and hard into Garchomp's chest.

The area went silent as the dragon was sent careening over the ropes, everyone simply astounded by the fact that Lucario was even able to pull that off against someone so big and strong. And his aura had not even appeared, so clearly his training was having more of an effect on him than one could have ever imagined.

However, Lucario was equally shocked that it had worked out as well as it did, not even considering himself strong enough to pull something like that off. Even so, the British fans were going wild, save for Amanda and Clauncher who both, like Lucario, found this to be way too easy especially with how strong Garchomp had proven herself to be up to this point.

Even so, Lucario quickly replaced his surprised look with a confident smile, folding his arms and saying, "Well, it's a shame to end this match so quickly, but a win's a win," Nori's eyes widening as she exclaimed, "Hold it, folks, this match isn't over yet!"

The dog's eyes widened as everyone else noticed Garchomp soar up behind Lucario, Amanda barking, "LUCARIO, SHE'S BEHIND YOU!" only for the dog to have no time to respond as Garchomp rammed her skull hard into his back, the dog yowling in pain before careening into the ropes and bouncing off of them.

As he flew back toward the dragon, the proceeded to latch her arms onto his shoulders before lifting him up and turning him ninety degrees, slamming the back of his head hard into the mat. Everyone stared in absolute shock, even the Russian fans. Sure, they were thrilled to witness such a comeback, but even they had no idea what was going on.

Machoke's eyes widened as he spat, "OH GOD, SHE JUST GOT SCARIER AGAIN!" Reika sighing, "How many more times are you going to react like that?" Blaziken shrugging and replying, "You gotta admit, this is surprising."

"And in a shocking display, Garchomp actually managed to fly back into the ring," Nori stated, "But no one has ever seen her fly before. What could this mean?"

"I figured now would be the perfect time to reveal this when I saw the ring being risen up," Garchomp stated with a smirk, "Yes, the truth is, I've always been able to fly! I'm the only member of my family who can, and it's all thanks to these babies," the dragon spreading out her arms to bring attention to her wrist fins, adding, "These fins also double as wings. Though so far, only my dad and I have them."

"That's true," Weedle stated, "I can't believe I hadn't thought about it," Beedrill turning to him as the caterpillar added, "Garchomp's father, Gabite, had a set of wings just like that. His father, Gible, did not have them but was married to a falcon named Valkyria. I guess it only makes sense that Garchomp's family now possesses bird DNA."

"So you've been keeping them a secret this whole time and preserving it for just the right moment," Lucario stated, "I'm flattered that you consider me more worth it than a villain."

Garchomp smirked and replied, "Yeah, I know, it's weird I wouldn't use it in any other case, but it worked on you, didn't it? Also, you didn't really send me flying out of the ring with that weak kick of yours. I simply propelled myself out of the ring to make you think you'd finished me off."

The dog's eyes widened as everyone stared, Machoke saying, "So she faked it," Aipom replying, "When you think about it, that actually does make sense."

Even so, Lucario now knew Garchomp's secret and was going to at least try to take advantage of this, the dog immediately sending a palm punch toward her only for the dragon to block it with one of her wrist fins. Afterwards, she proceeded to send a knee kick into his gut before shouting, "DRAGON CLAW!" sending one of her claws forward as Lucario quickly swerved to the right only to end up taking a small strike to his shoulder, the dog wincing while a bit of blood came out.

The Russian fans were going wild as Lucario growled, Amanda shouting, "Lucario, calm down and think! I know you can find a way around this!" the dog nodding and thinking, 'She's right. I just need to look for an opening and exploit that.'

After Garchomp sent more strikes toward Lucario, the dog dodging each one, he noticed that her midsection was completely unprotected. As such, he immediately sent his palm toward her belly and spat, "FORCE PALM!" hitting it hard as the dragon winced in pain.

However, like when Gardevoir hit her with her Moon Hook, she acted as if the pain meant nothing before latching onto Lucario's arm. The dog's eyes widened as she proceeded to fling him hard into the turnbuckle, the Russian fans going wild as Clauncher and Amanda winced.

"So, where's all that strength from your last two matches?" Garchomp asked tauntingly, "You seem to have lost quite a bit of muscle considering your precious Force Palm barely did a thing to me!" Lucario growling, not even sure how to answer that. Even he was not fully aware of the aura that had given him the strength to lift someone as heavy as Metang.

Aipom winced and uttered, "Poor Lucario. He doesn't seem to stand a chance anymore," when suddenly, a can flew into the back of the monkey's head, Aipom turning toward the source to notice a member of the British crowd had thrown it.

"Shut up, you ugly monkey!" the person, a man to be exact, exclaimed as a woman joined in, shouting, "Lucario is an amazing fighter! How dare you even imply that he would lose!" Aipom whimpering, "But haven't you been paying attention?" a boy stating, "The only reason you're saying such an awful thing is because you were Garchomp's partner in the three-legged race!"

"Hey, she was forced into that against her will!" Blaziken snapped, "Don't get after her for that!" another girl among the British crowd retorting, "If that's the case, she wouldn't be taking sides!"

Machoke scratched the side of his head and asked, "Wait, when was she taking sides? All I heard was hard, cold facts coming from her mouth as usual," another British fan hurling a can into the back of his head, the boy getting up and fuming while barking, "ALRIGHT, WHO THREW THAT!?"

Gallade and Hitmonchan both forced him to sit back down as Gallade said, "Easy does it. You just finished a really intense match, remember?" the boy nodding and scowling before folding his arms and grumbling curses.

Unfortunately, Aipom's words seemed very true as Garchomp proceeded to send her wrist fins into Lucario's neck, the dog coughing up a bit of blood before taking another knee kick to the gut. With that, the dragon proceeded to lift him up by the arm before hurling him over her shoulder, sending him flying over the ropes.

All went silent as Nori said, "Garchomp has just sent Lucario flying over the edge. It seems this match is truly over now," only for one of the British fans to shout, "Wait, look!"

The crowd was truly amazed to see Lucario had not fallen as the lower rope was stretched downward. It seemed this was a result of the dog's ankle being attached to it thus preventing him from continuing his descent, Amanda breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, it would have been disappointing to end this so early, I guess," Garchomp said before walking over to the rope and adding, "Still, I don't want to let my country down."

But just as she got close, Lucario sported a more serious look and used the rope like a sling to send him back upward, both of his feet running hard into Garchomp's chin. The dragon's eyes went wide as she backed up a bit, rubbing that very spot as Lucario proceeded to land on her head, this time having his heels hit her. This seemed to be effective enough to at least slow the dragon down as Lucario leapt off of her and landed firmly against the mat, taking a few deep breaths.

The British fans went wild as Nori stated, "And just as it looked like Lucario was going to lose, he got the advantage with an amazing comeback! But with all that's happened so far, will this be enough!?"

The dragon turned toward Lucario with a smirk, saying, "Well, you certainly have a strong spirit, I'll give you that. But persistence can only get you so far," Garchomp then spreading out her arms and taking to the air, Lucario looking annoyed now.

"I didn't want to have to rely on this to defeat you, but I'm willing to do anything to win," Garchomp said with a smirk, "and personally, I'd rather not risk taking in another hit like that!"

With that, the dragon flew around the area, Lucario trying to follow her movements until she soared under the ring. The dog's eyes widened as Amanda was about to point out where Garchomp was going to rise from. Unfortunately, every time the dragon was about to rise up, she would lower herself and resume flying, knowing that if Amanda could figure out her strategy, she could easily warn her brother in time.

"What's she doing?" Machoke asked, "It's like she's afraid to come up," Aipom shaking her head and replying, "No, there's more to this and Lucario's going to need to be more alert," the monkey bracing herself only to notice the British fans seemed to be done judging her for the time being.

After a few more seconds of flying, Garchomp finally rose up only now her body was covered in a bright orange flame, the Russian fans going wild, knowing exactly what was going on. With that, Garchomp charged at Lucario as Amanda was just about to warn the dog. Unfortunately for her, the dragon was moving far too quickly as she rammed her head hard into the dog's back, shouting, "DRAGON RAGE!"

The dog coughed up more blood as he soon found himself pressed up against the ropes. After a few seconds, the material on the ropes started to come open as the wire was now exposed and splitting apart as well. Everyone stared as it seemed like this might be it, the rope snapping in half as the dog was sent over the edge, looking too weak to do anything right now.

The Russian fans were once again cheering heavily while everyone else stared in absolute horror. Amanda closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the rest while Clauncher had her claws over her mouth, her eyes wide open. Even Machoke and his friends could not believe what they had just witnessed.

However, all went silent when Nori said, "And once again, Lucario has miraculously saved himself!" Garchomp's eyes widening as she slowly looked down, noticing one of the dog's wrist spikes piercing the side of the ring while he hung there. Whether it was luck or resilience, Lucario had once again avoided a ring-out.

Though currently, he seemed to be barely breathing as even the act of keeping his arm up right now had taken quite a bit out of him. Garchomp simply smirked and said, "You know what? I think I'll just let you hang there. After taking in my most devastating technique, you'll let go soon enough."

Nori blinked and uttered, "I have no idea what to do right now. The rule was that a ring-out loss would only happen if either fighter made contact with the floor. But on the other hand, Garchomp is doing nothing to speed up Lucario's fall and with his spike deep inside the ring like that, I'm not sure he'll be falling any time soon," Beedrill shrugging and replying, "Well, you know the rules. I'd love to start a twenty count but that would go against my policy for this match."

Amanda gritted her teeth, hoping her brother would find the strength to return to the ring just like the last time he had been sent over the side. The others were simply staring in silence, wondering if Garchomp letting him be was reasonable or if it was the biggest mistake she could have made.

However, it seemed to be a mistake as a light blue aura surrounded Lucario briefly, the dog's eyes opening as he had a look of fury on his face. While Garchomp had her back turned, the dragon confident that she had guaranteed victory, the dog immediately lifted up his other arm and dug that one's spike into the side of the ring, using his wrists like ice picks on a mountainside.

The British fans started to cheer as Amanda smiled briefly, though seeing the aura did alarm her to a certain degree. Even so, she hoped she had just imagined that as Clauncher clapped happily, exclaiming, "YEAH, SHOW HER WHO'S BOSS, DUDE!"

Garchomp had a look of confusion on her face as she uttered, "What's everyone-?" before turning around and noticing two blue paws hanging on the side of the ring, Lucario slowly but surely climbing back onto the canvas as the dragon stared wide-eyed, her jaw dropped.

He looked so weak before and yet quite a bit of his strength had returned. Where had this sudden recovery come from?

Whatever the case, the dragon refused to let this distract her as she took to the air again, charging at the dog. However, Lucario saw this coming as he dodged to the side, sending a roundhouse into the dragon's cheek. This seemed stronger than the kicks he had used earlier as Garchomp was sent flying sideways, her cheek hitting the turnbuckle.

The British fans were even happier as the aura got darker, Lucario breathing heavily with a look of fury in his eyes, the dog exclaiming, "You've had your moment, now it's time I had mine!"