While the British fans were thrilled to see Lucario make such an amazing comeback, Amanda was not so sure of this right now. The aura had once again appeared and every time this happened, it was not a good sign. At least that was how Amanda saw it, anyway.

As Garchomp tried to ignore the pain to her cheek, Lucario proceeded to leap onto her back, grabbing hold of her back fin and saying, "You know, this fin is rather inconvenient. I already knew before this match started that I could not use my London Bridge on you thanks to this thing. But I'm feeling a lot stronger now, so perhaps I can at least use it to my advantage."

Everyone stared in shock as the dog proceeded to leap upward while still gripping the fin, performing a one-hundred-and-eighty degree flip, Garchomp's skull now facing the mat. With that, Lucario proceeded to descend, slamming her hard into the canvas as the dragon gritted her teeth, groaning from the pain.

"And in a stunning display, Lucario has turned Garchomp's fin against her," Nori stated, "Lord only knows what other surprises he has in store," the British fans going wild while Lucario did not wait for the dragon to recover, sending low kicks into the side of her head while she was down.

Machoke was once again trembling at the sight of this as Reika said, "It's strange. Every time he's about to lose, his strength always increases. You think he might have that power Gardevoir used to have?" Gallade shaking his head and replying, "If he did, we'd see violet lights. It's also worth note that only the females in my family have it, so it's definitely out of the question."

Gallade was right about one thing. The power filling Lucario had absolutely nothing to do with his family. It was being fuelled by something else and he did not even have this power until after the Olympics started. But what was the true cause?

Whatever the case, Amanda was starting to notice a change in Lucario's personality again. The dog was not the type to attack his opponents while they were down. That was a dirty tactic that villains often used. And yet here he was doing something very similar to when he had Metang down.

Even so, Garchomp was not going to let this keep her down as she swung her arm out, hooking the dog's ankle and pulling hard thus knocking him on his back. Lucario groaned as the dragon got up, saying, "I have to admit, I'm actually impressed, but don't think for a minute that I'm gonna let you do that again."

With that, the dragon performed a backward somersault before leaping off the side of the ring, once again flying around the bottom in an attempt to trick Lucario. The dog was looking irritated before his eyes widened, suddenly realizing something so obvious, it pained him that it took him this long to remember it. Dogs had an unbelievable sense of smell and he had seldom ever taken advantage of it in his entire life.

With that in mind, the dog took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his nose twitching as he started to sniff, pointing his head up. Amanda blinked and said, "Wow, I haven't seen him do that in a long time."

Clauncher blinked and asked, "Really?" the girl nodding and replying, "The only time I've ever seen him use it is this one time I lost a broach. He used his sense of smell to track it down," Clauncher lowering her eyelids and replying, "And he's never used it on any other occasion," Amanda shrugging and replying, "Not that I know of."

The lobster blinked and uttered, "Wow, a dog not using his sense of smell. That is just too weird to be questioned. I think I'll just drop it."

At the very least, using it now certainly seemed like a good idea as Lucario had caught Garchomp's scent. After all, he had been making close contact with her constantly throughout the match, so her smell was familiar to him. And soon enough, he detected her flying up behind him and engulfing herself in a bright orange flame, setting up for her Dragon Rage again.

With that, the dragon soared toward Lucario as the dog opened his eyes, leaping out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, Garchomp soaring right past him and running into one of the remaining sets of ropes. Before she could break through the material, though, Lucario sprinted over to her and grabbed hold of the dragon's tail, flinging her hard into the turnbuckle.

The British fans went wild as Clauncher stared in shock, exclaiming, "Wow! At the speed Garchomp was moving at, not many could have pulled that off!" Amanda nodded and thinking, 'She's right, and Lucario shouldn't have been able to pull that off either. I know I should be happy, but I honestly think there's something wrong with this picture.'

Garchomp all the while gritted her teeth after recovering from the hit, thinking, 'Damn. I should have seen it coming. It's happened in both of his previous matches. Just as it looks like he's going to lose, he gets this sudden burst of power that makes him four times stronger than before. I need to find a way around this.'

She really had to think of a method as Lucario had now found a way of countering most of her tactics. Even if she tried her Fin Buzzsaw, not that she would use that against a hero not wearing armour, he would likely just grab her fin and use it against her again. She could no longer rely on flying under the ring for a sneak attack as he knew her scent.

However, she would have to think fast as Lucario was charging toward her, the dragon actually panicking as she took to the air just in time to avoid an incoming strike. She could not believe how scared she was right now. No one had ever made Garchomp feel this way and she hated this feeling. She was facing a fellow hero, not a villain and yet she felt as if her life depended on her coming up with a last-ditch effort to win this match.

However, she saw an opportunity when Lucario decided not to wait for her to land, running to a set of ropes still intact and bouncing off of it, propelling himself up to the dragon's level. A smirk crossed her face as she waited for the dog to get close enough, swinging her arms forward just in time to grab hold of the dog, Lucario's eyes widening.

With that, she proceeded to rise up higher while stating, "Alright, Lucario, you've made an impressive comeback, but ultimately, I'm the one who will face Machoke in the finals!" the dragon releasing a shock wave that covered her body and surrounded her in a blue flame before she flipped herself over, Lucario's head facing the mat.

The Russian fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "Lucario got an amazing advantage, but it seems his luck has finally run out!" Garchomp shouting, "DRAGON RUSH!" as she made contact with the mat, a smoke cloud forming between the two as all went silent.

"Did Garchomp actually win?" Machoke asked as Aipom blinked, replying, "I dunno. Lucario did take in a nasty beating earlier. That might have been enough."

While the smoke cleared, everyone could see the silhouette of Garchomp still standing, the Russian fans cheering wildly. However, when the smoke cleared, their cheers died when when they noticed Lucario latched onto her neck, applying a great deal of pressure to it as the dragon was gasping for air. They could not believe it, the neck that had been powerful enough to sustain an overpowered arm hook was taking in extreme pain from a choke hold.

It was not as if Garchomp's move had no effect on Lucario whatsoever, though. This was made evident by the fact that he had a bit of blood dripping from his mouth. Even so, it seemed like the dog had completely ignored the pain dealt by Garchomp's strongest slam technique, and considering both of her opponents prior had fallen to this move with ease, that was no small feat.

Amanda stared wide-eyed as Clauncher turned to her, saying, "Wow, Lucario's so awesome. It's like he didn't take in any damage whatsoever," before noticing the girl's expression and asking, "So why don't you look happy about this?" Amanda remarking, "Look at how brutal he's being right now."

Clauncher turned back and saw what Amanda meant as Lucario was applying not just a lot of pressure but a deadly amount. If he held on for too long, Garchomp could potentially die as a result of his submission hold.

Beedrill noticed this and exclaimed, "I don't think I need to remind Lucario of what will happen if he kills his opponent!" one of the British fans retorting, "Hey, Lucario would never do that! He's good!" the dog nodding and saying, "Yes, I intend to let go when she surrenders."

'You mean IF I surrender,' Garchomp thought before leaning her neck backward, Lucario's eyes widening when his back ended up being slammed into her fin. Since the spot that hit him was rather sharp, he ended up taking in quite a bit of pain as he fell on his back.

Garchomp took a deep breath before coughing a bit, rubbing her aching neck and grunting, "Alright, enough's enough! It's time to end this!" the dragon sending her right claw into the dog's gut and shouting, "DRAGON CLAW!" Lucario coughing up blood before she lifted him up, growling, "You may have survived one, but there's no way you'll get up after another!"

With that, the dragon took to the air, once again surrounding herself in a blue flame as everyone watched in silence save for the Russian fans who were ecstatic. There was no doubt that Garchomp's words were true. It was miracle that Lucario had gotten up after taking in such a powerful attack. One more hit would likely finish him.

However, Lucario seemed perfectly aware of this too as he had a serious look on his eyes. Once Garchomp flipped over and started her descent toward the mat, Lucario smirked and stated, "After seeing this move in action three times now, I think I've finally found a way to counter it."

Garchomp's eyes widened as she retorted, "You're bluffing!" only for the dog to prove her wrong by using all his might to force her arms out just enough for him to flip his body around so now his belly was facing hers. As a result, his chest spike dug right into the dragon's flesh as her eyes widened, the pain causing her to let go.

With that, Lucario proceeded to wrap his ankles around the top of her neck before latching his legs onto the bottom, applying all of his might to speed up their descent. And sure enough, Garchomp's head ended up hitting the canvas hard, a cloud of smoke covering the area.

"Just as it seemed Lucario was done for, he managed to turn Garchomp's Dragon Rush against her," Nori stated, "but will that be enough or will Garchomp surprise us just like Lucario did when that smoke clears?"

The Russian fans waited in anticipation as Amanda was not even sure what outcome to hope for. Sure, it was not uncommon for Lucario to use his chest spike as a weapon, but he normally preferred to save it for his London Bridge technique, never having any intention of using it for anything else. And yet this time, he used it as a means of escaping from Garchomp's hold without a second thought as if it meant nothing.

Reika gulped and said, "My god, it's so intense. I just want the smoke to clear already so I can see how that turned out," Cici squeaking, "Look!" everyone amazed to once again see Garchomp's silhouette standing. However, her arms were pointed out and upward and it looked like Lucario was once again on her back, the fanbases both staring, wondering exactly what was happening right now.

Once the smoke cleared, everyone could see it as Lucario had his legs wrapped around her sides just above her fin with his hands gripping tightly onto her wrists and pulling on them. Garchomp's eyes and mouth were wide open as she once again started to tremble, Lucario pulling extra hard with a serious look in his eyes. Each time Garchomp attempted the same escape from before, it caused her arms even more excruciating pain thus preventing her from doing it.

"And Lucario has Garchomp in a hold that I've never actually seen before," Nori said, Lucario explaining, "This is a submission hold that my father had tried to invent way back when. However, he was never able to perfect it and as such, it was never anything more than a pipe dream! However, I have been training hard and finally figured out what he was trying to do and I guess now is as good a time as ever to reveal it!" all going silent among the crowd as he added, "I believe the name he came up with was Riolu Torment!"

Amanda stared in absolute shock as Garchomp was breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face as she tried her best to struggle free. Now she truly felt like her life was on the line and if she did not get out of this, she would die for sure.

"I don't get it," Machoke uttered, "Why is she having so much trouble getting out of that? It doesn't really look all that special," Aipom shaking her head and replying, "Oh, trust me, Machoke, this is highly advanced. That hold he has on Garchomp is perfect, one of the most perfect holds I've ever seen. His legs and hands are in just the right spot and he's applying just the right amount of force. We're seeing something truly amazing right now."

Lucario took a deep breath and thought, 'I did it, Father, I perfected your precious submission hold,' Garchomp growling as after a few seconds, the audience could hear her arm bones and backbone crack, the Russian fans gasping at the sound of this as Amanda stared in horror.

Garchomp's eyes slowly closed shut as Lucario thought, 'Though I haven't quite finished it yet,' before shifting his legs and twisting Garchomp's torso, the dragon's eyes and mouth widening again for only a few seconds as everyone could hear her backbone shatter, the dragon falling forward and landing hard against the mat with her cheek pressed up against it.

Her arms were stuck in a twisted formation as it looked like her bones had been completely dislocated. As if that was not disturbing enough, her arms had been stretched out meaning they were a little bit longer than usual, her wrists now located a little bit above her fins. But worst of all, thanks to that finale Lucario had used, she would not get up anytime soon.

Beedrill and Weedle both stared in shock, not even sure what to say until they noticed Garchomp was breathing slightly. As long as she was still alive, they knew they could not disqualify Lucario for this move.

And with that in mind, Beedrill started the ten count while the area went silent. Amanda gritted her teeth, Clauncher actually feeling scared right now. Sure, she knew Lucario wanted to win, but even she had not expected him to go to such extremes. All the girls could do right now was pray that Garchomp would still be fit to fight evil after this.

And with that, the ten seconds were up as the bell rang, Beedrill exclaiming, "AND THE WINNER OF THE LAST MATCH OF THE SEMI-FINALS IS LUCARIO!" the British fans going wild as Lucario held his arms up in triumph, a smirk on his face while Machoke was more scared of the dog than ever before.

However, the area had not quite calmed down as Reika pointed and spat, "LOOK!" everyone turning toward the ring and noticing a horrifying sight. As if the brutal technique Lucario had just used was not enough, the dog had actually lifted Garchomp up by her fin and dragged her to the side of the ring with the ropes she had snapped open.

"LUCARIO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Amanda spat as the boy turned to her with a smile, saying, "I'm simply helping Garchomp get down from the ring."

Machoke's eyes twitched as he asked, "He's not gonna do what I think he's gonna do, is he?" Aipom shaking her head and uttering, "No, it can't be."

Unfortunately, it was just as everyone feared as Lucario wasted no time leaping up into the air before throwing his arms downward, releasing his hold on Garchomp. The Russian fans stared in sheer horror as their representative descended toward the floor. However, while most of the audience members were too scared to do anything, Aipom immediately got up from her seat and sprinted toward the area.

"WAIT, LET ME HANDLE THIS!" Machoke spat, but it was too late as Aipom was already under Garchomp with all three of her hands pointed upward, the dragon soon landing hard against them.

Despite her small stature, Aipom was not a complete weakling and as such, she was amazingly able to hold Garchomp up and keep the dragon from hitting the floor too hard. However, this did not last long as her knees bent down, the monkey's eyes widening as all could hear her leg bones snap.

Machoke wasted no time getting up from his seat and racing over toward the area along with Blaziken, Gallade and Hitmonchan. Reika, Tsuya and Cici soon joined in as all seven quickly reached Aipom, Machoke and Blaziken immediately lifting Garchomp off of Aipom's hands. Unfortunately, it seemed Machoke was once again too late as Aipom fell to her knees, biting her lip and trying her best not to cry. Sure, she may have been ten, but she still felt she was too mature for that.

However, she could not hold back the tears of pain any longer as she rolled over onto her back, rubbing her legs with her tail hand. Machoke stared in horror as medics quickly came in, loading Garchomp onto a stretcher, the boy asking, "Aipom, are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me," the monkey fibbed with a forced grin, "I'll be in tip-top shape soon enough," all the while resisting the urge to start bawling.

However, Machoke simply rolled his eyes and picked her up, saying, "It's okay to cry. Even adults do it from time to time," Aipom shaking her head and sniffing, "You're the best student I could have ever asked for!"

The monkey hugged him while whimpering, Cici biting her lip and trembling at the sight of this while Reika uttered, "Oh my god," the girl then noticing Lucario climbing down from the ring via ladder.

Beedrill immediately flew over and glared at Lucario, saying, "We would have gladly escorted her out of the ring ourselves. That was uncalled for," the dog rolling his eyes and remarking, "But was it against the rules?" the wasp sighing, "Well, luckily for you, she didn't die and the match was over, so I'll let this slide, but never do it again!"

Lucario simply bowed his head and replied, "Yes, sir," the wasp saying, "Thank you," before looking at Aipom and Machoke with concern, Weedle saying nothing.

A part of him wanted to disqualify Lucario for this, but it was just as Beedrill said. Heroes had a lot less regulations than humans did during tournaments.

However, Aipom's spirits lifted a tad when a few Russian fans ran to the scene as well, a woman smiling at her and saying, "Aipom, we owe you a debt of gratitude," a man nodding and adding, "Yes, thank you so much for saving Garchomp's life. You're a true hero," the Russian fans grinning and chanting, "Aipom! Aipom! Aipom! Aipom!" more tears welling up in the monkey's eyes, only these were tears of joy.

"Pitiful," Lucario remarked as everyone turned their attention toward him, Hitmonchan remarking, "What is wrong with you!? Aipom's a hero!" the dog remarking, "If being a hero means crippling yourself for someone you have no reason to trust, then I'm starting to wonder if I made the right choice in becoming one."

Amanda gritted her teeth as Clauncher patted her on the shoulder, saying, "You should have a word with him," the girl remarking, "Don't worry. I plan to."

Lucario simply grinned smugly and said, "It's funny how Aipom is deemed as this great genius when she has hardly ever helped you in your matches," Machoke and his friends scowling as the dog added, "Also, if she's so smart, she would have known better than to try and lift something clearly too heavy for her to handle. Face it, she caused her own injury today. She's nowhere near as smart as she thinks she is."

Beedrill blinked, not wanting a fight to break out before the final match as he said, "Okay, there is a lot of tension here, but need I remind you, Machoke, you and Lucario will be fighting next week. So until then, let's have the two of you shake hands to a good upcoming match, alright?"

Lucario nodded and held out his hand while Aipom was loaded up onto a stretcher of her own, Machoke glaring at the dog and slowly holding his hand out. However, before the two could shake, the boy gritted his teeth and lifted his hand up, sending a karate chop into Lucario's face and causing him to back up a bit, rubbing his cheek.

The crowd gasped as Machoke spat, "SAY THAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU! CALL AIPOM DUMB ONE MORE TIME AND SEE WHERE IT GETS YOU!" the others holding the boy back, Blaziken sighing, "I was considering doing the same thing just now, but Beedrill's right. Save it for the ring," the boy fuming while glaring at Lucario.

The dog simply rubbed his cheek and said, "I'm looking forward to wiping the floor with you, especially with your trainer out of commission," Lucario then turning around and slowly making his way to the exit of the area, Amanda getting up and pursuing him.

Machoke fumed, his eyes twitching until Aipom smiled weakly at him and said, "Don't worry, Machoke. Just remember everything I taught you and you'll be fine," Machoke taking a deep breath and replying, "I'll make you proud," a warm smile on his face as he placed both his hands gently against her tail hand, Aipom shaking them before both let go, the monkey being wheeled into the same ambulance as Garchomp.

Reika looked at Machoke with concern as his serious look turned to fear, the boy now more terrified of facing Lucario than ever before. He could not believe that after becoming a hero, he would still resort to such merciless tactics. Even so, the boy tried his best to hide it right now. He did not want his friends to know how scared he was.

Lucario was just about to exit the area when Amanda marched over to him, the dog turning and saying, "Oh, hi, sis," a friendly smile forming as he added, "I'm in the finals. Isn't that great?" Amanda glaring at him and asking, "Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean?" the dog asked as the girl remarked, "You know damn well what I mean! You could have killed her!" Lucario blinking as she added, "And then you went and insulted Aipom like that just because she did what any sensible person would have done! What happened back there!?"

Lucario's eyes went wide before his look of remorse turned to anger as he snapped, "WHY CAN'T YOU BE HAPPY FOR ME!?" Amanda giving him an awkward stare as he added, "My goal was to face Machoke so I could get our family's honour back! I just happened to need extreme measures to make sure that would happen! If you can't understand that, then just go home! I don't need you here if you're not going to support me!"

Amanda stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes and mouth wide open. This was the first time Lucario had ever snapped at her. Not only did this confuse her but it also terrified her, the girl biting her lower lip as tears welled up in her eyes.

Lucario's eyes widened as he held out his hand, saying, "Amanda, wait-" only for the girl to run toward him, forcing the dog to the side and racing out of the area with a mix of fury and sadness in her eyes. However, before she could leave the area for good, she came to a halt and turned toward Lucario, sniffing, "I'm going back to London! I'm sorry for being such a burden!" before resuming her run out of the arena.

However, when she left, Lucario's regret turned to anger as he slammed his fist into the wall next to him, barking to himself, "FINE! I DON'T NEED HER ANYWAY! I'LL WIN MY MATCH WITH MACHOKE AND THEN SHE'LL WISH SHE HAD NEVER SAID SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS TO ME!" the dog storming out of the area when he was certain Amanda was too far away from him to catch up with her.

He was not going to try and stop her from leaving, not anymore. Right now, all he wanted to focus on was defeating Machoke and restoring his family's championship streak. A week from now, the people were sure to be treated to the most intense match they had ever witnessed.