With Meisai having entered the picture, Machoke was hard at work getting ready for his match with Lucario and feeling confident. Sure, it was rather suspect that this girl apparently knew a lot about Lucario despite having never been seen near him, but even so, the boy just had this funny feeling he could trust her.

The two were currently in the middle of a sparring match, Machoke currently on the receiving end of the London Bridge again as Meisai smirked under her mask, saying, "I may be just a human, but don't think that means I'll be easy," the boy's eyes wide open as he grunted, "I can see that!"

The boy gritted his teeth, wincing in pain. Sure, Lucario was not the one using it and there was no spike, but it was still effective, the girl sighing, "How can you expect to beat Lucario if you can't find a way out of this move?"

Machoke blinked and asked, "Can't I just not fall victim to it?" Meisai remarking, "That would sound ideal, but even so, we can't rule out the possibility that he can get you with this," Machoke having no clue what to do as the girl released her hold on him, allowing him to fall on his side.

"Lucario has a major weakness that can easily be exploited but only if you know exactly how to go about it," Meisai explained, "It's the fact that up until now, he has only relied on London Bridge to finish his opponents. He knows quite a few specials that Riolu used back in the day but refuses to use them for personal reasons. He's likely to try it on you more than anything else. If you can find a way out of that move, it'll be rendered useless."

"But what about that Riolu Punisher thing?" Machoke asked as Meisai replied, "It's called Riolu Torment, but that is a good question. Him using it on Garchomp was the first time I had ever seen it. Like he said, his father had tried to perfect that very move but had never quite gotten the position of his arms and legs right. And I've been thinking really hard about how to avoid falling victim to that move."

"Good," Machoke replied with a big smile, "So how do I escape from it?" the girl replying, "You don't let him hit you with it," the boy falling on his side again before quickly springing back up, retorting, "What the hell!? Weren't you just telling me we couldn't rule out the possibility of me falling victim to his special moves!?"

"Yes, it's true I did say that," the girl replied, "but here's the thing. Something I did notice with that setup is that the Riolu Torment is more difficult for Lucario to pull off, so he's likely to save it as a last-minute resort. When that happens, you are going to do everything to avoid it, but even so, you still have a long way to go."

"What else is there for me to worry about?" Machoke groaned as Meisai added, "Well, I got a sneak peak at his training earlier, and currently, he's trying to figure out a way to counter your Sunset Slam," Machoke's eyes going wide as she nodded, adding, "It only makes sense. After all, he likely knows how to counter your other finishing moves."

"So you're saying I need to come up with another new finisher," the boy replied with disappointment in his tone, "But I haven't even had the move for that long!" Meisai shaking her head and replying, "Actually, I know you can beat him with this technique. However, you must wait for my signal to use it. Wait for me to say Daybreak. That's when you will use it."

Machoke nodded and replied, "Daybreak," a grin forming on his face as he added, "I can remember that."

All the while, Lucario was currently taking a break from his intense training while sitting in the hotel room he had booked for him and Amanda to stay in. It felt strange with his sister no longer there but even so, he was not going to let this get him down. After all, she simply did not understand his drive. That was not his fault, was it?

However, while in the room, he was seated in front of the TV watching a recording of the match between Riolu and Machamp. Apparently, as a means of celebrating the Hero Olympics, the sports network was showing a marathon of classic Olympic matches and this was just what Lucario needed.

Throughout the match, it seemed that Riolu had the upper hand. Sure, it started with Machamp delivering a fierce backdrop and dealing quite a bit of damage. However, Riolu had recovered rather quickly and proceeded to strike Machamp hard with a slew of karate chops to his head. Despite being so early in the match, Riolu had come very close to drawing blood.

The rest of the match seemed more in his favour as well, the dog pulling out all kinds of stops. He dealt an onslaught of slams and hits, including a family favourite, Force Palm. Every now and then, Machamp would land a hit, but most of the match featured Riolu dominating.

However, despite all of this, Machamp still ended up winning with a last-minute resort so shocking that Riolu had to have seen it coming to get out of it. Just as it seemed the man had been knocked out, Riolu turned his back to him just long enough for Machamp to recover and grab him from behind. Spellbound by this sudden turnaround, Riolu had fallen victim to a technique Machoke did not know how to use and from what he could gather, Machamp had never used it again after this.

With this move, the man leapt high above the ring, stopping midway and leaning backward while holding onto Riolu's ankles and wrists, the dog's back facing him. He then pulled hard on the back briefly before releasing his hold on Riolu. As the dog descended, Machamp proceeded to wrap his arms around him, setting up him for a tombstone piledriver and slamming him hard against the mat.

'So the problem was that he was too arrogant,' Lucario thought, taking a deep breath.

It could not be as simple as just being alert, could it? Sure, giving Machoke time to get up would be a bad idea, but there had to be more.

With that, the dog then remembered something earlier. When walking home from the construction site, he overheard someone mention that a TV application known as Netflix was specifically hosting old fight footage due to the Hero Olympics raising people's interest in these matches. The footage in question had been generously provided by Hero Planet, but only the footage they wanted the world to see.

With that in mind, Lucario took full advantage of this, looking for anything, any footage of his father not only fighting but winning. And he knew exactly what matches to look for as he had studied Riolu's track record, knowing which opponents he had beaten and which ones he had lost to. The one he was most interested in, though, was when his father became champion in the twentieth Hero Olympics at the young age of fourteen.

In the final match here, Riolu was up against a toad with a build very similar to that of Poliwhirl named Poliwrath. It was an intense match, but Riolu's determination and spirit kept him going. However, what ultimately won him the match was a very powerful slam, a move that Lucario was very familiar with known as the Half-Moon Press.

Lucario then watched a match between his father and a black and purple snaked named Seviper. Nearing the end of the match, Riolu was taking in multiple strikes from a blade on the end of the snake's tail, Seviper shouting, "POISON TAIL!"

While this went on, a male announcer stated, "Riolu's taking in a horrible amount of punishment right now from Poison Tail! As the name implies, poison is entering his body right now and making him weaker by the second!"

This seemed so as Riolu had a variety of cuts on him, the blood inside of him turning purple. Seviper laughed and hissed, "You've been such a good challenge, I'm willing to make a deal with you! If you give up now, I'll give you the antidote to my poison!" the dog grabbing onto her tail before she could strike him again and remarking, "I'D RATHER DIE THAN SEE YOU HARM ANOTHER INNOCENT LIFE!"

Despite his body feeling weaker, the dog's eyelids struggling to stay open, he still found the strength to lift up Seviper by the tail, sending her high into the air and leaping up to her level. He then proceeded to latch his legs around her neck before lifting his body up and wrapping his arms around her waist, descending hard and fast toward the canvas.

Once Seviper's head made contact, Riolu exclaimed, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" Seviper coughing up blood and passing out as the crowd cheered. Lucario would have wondered how his father survived the poison coursing through him, but he then remembered the older dog telling him briefly about how Seviper had turned over a new leaf afterwards and gave him the antidote despite him refusing her terms.

However, what Lucario did notice was that once again, Riolu won with a slam finisher. And going through more footage, he noticed that Riolu had two other finishers involving him slamming the opponent, never once using a single submission hold. Though of course, Lucario had known of these techniques. He just refused to use them as he wanted to be different from his father. Even his version of Force Palm was a tad different as Riolu did not have the blue aura that went with Lucario's.

Perhaps that would likely hold him back if he was to fight Machoke. He was certain the boy had been paying attention to his fighting style and had probably figured out ways around many of his techniques by now. It was only a matter of time until his precious London Bridge met the same fate as Machoke's Muscle Tombstone.

But something no one would expect was for him to use his father's finishing moves. That would be his plan of attack. When not working on a way to counter the Sunset Slam, he would practice his father's slam techniques so he could use them on Machoke if need be. Machoke had a knack for pulling off miracles that no one could see coming. It was time for Lucario to do the same.

Of course he also had the Riolu Torment, a move that he knew Machoke would not be able to get out of. However, he also knew that anyone could avoid the move if they were in good enough condition. Sure, it was flawless after being executed, but the setup was something anyone could bypass by taking a single step forward. It was the greatest move he had but also the most flawed, so Lucario would no doubt save it for when he knew Machoke would be too weak to evade it.

Lucario had a serious look in his eyes as he was now fully confident he could win his finals match. All his doubts had left him. Sure, he would have to borrow his father's techniques, but if it helped him restore the family honour, it was worth it.

During this time, Gardevoir had finally returned to the city with only an hour to spare before she normally went to bed. She often timed herself to sleep at the same time as Machoke, no later than midnight.

During this time, Gallade and Hitmonchan were sitting on the couch watching an action movie in Gallade and Gardevoir's suite when the girl approached the door, taking a deep breath. Even though she had only been training for one afternoon and one full day, she felt as if she had been away from her brother more than long enough. This was funny considering her trip to Paris had lasted longer and Gallade had not gone with her for that.

Even so, the girl slowly opened the door, her eyes going wide when she saw her brother and his girlfriend on the couch, Gallade pausing the movie and turning slowly, the girl smiling lightly and squeaking, "Hi!"

Gallade and Hitmonchan both smiled wide, Gallade racing over to his sister and giving her a hug, asking, "So how did it go?" Gardevoir grinning and replying, "You'll have to wait until my next match," Gallade groaning, "Not fair," Hitmonchan chuckling, the trio making sure not to make too much noise.

And the rest of the week went by rather well. Machoke had put up a sign on his door to tell people he did not wish to be disturbed. His friends were rather shocked, not so much because he was not letting them in but rather because he was taking training seriously enough not to let himself be distracted.

Gardevoir did hope he would come out every now and then, though. She wanted to at least spend some time with him before the big match.

Lucario all the while was training hard. He had made a few test dummies out of logs and sticks and set them up in a field while trying out his father's greatest techniques on them. After all, he had never used them before, so he would need to get the hang of them before using them in a real fight.

At one point, he actually looked around to see if he could find Clauncher, wanting her to help him spar. But unbeknownst to him, Clauncher was starting to see him in a way similar to Amanda and had started to fear him after the way he threw Garchomp out of the ring. As such, she was not willing to help him train. This did not bother Lucario, though, as he had been independent for a long time, so training himself was not a huge issue.

And of course, Machoke was getting all kinds of pointers from Meisai. Again, he had no idea how this girl knew so much about Lucario, but he just knew he could trust her.

After a few hours of sparring, Meisai took a deep breath and said, "I think you've earned yourself a break," Machoke asking, "Really?"

The girl nodded and replied, "Hey, you got the rest of the week to prepare yourself. That's a long time," the boy nodding and saying, "Yeah, I guess that's true," a big grin forming as he exclaimed, "I'm gonna hang out with the guys!"

"Wait," Meisai said, Machoke wincing when he heard this and asking, "Are you saying I can't hang out with them?" the girl replying, "Oh no, I'm perfectly fine with that. Just be sure to be back in two hours."

Machoke lowered his eyelids and groaned, "That's not much of a break," the girl giving him a stern look as he laughed nervously, uttering, "On second thought, I think it's fine!"

With that, the boy took off as Meisai shook her head, thinking, 'He may not be the most responsible of heroes, but I'm sure he can do it.'

And on that note, the boy decided to call up everyone for some time in the club, Gardevoir so happy to talk to him again. The girl had just finished talking about her training and the results as everyone looked impressed.

Machoke was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of slacks while Blaziken was wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt of her own. As always, Gallade was only wearing pants while Hitmonchan wore the same clothes she always did. Scyther had also joined them, the insect actually wearing clothes for a change. She never saw the point seeing as heroes had nothing to really cover up, but Reika had talked her into it and she rather liked the feel of having clothes on.

"Wow, I can't wait to see you in action again," Machoke said to Gardevoir with a big grin as Scyther was blushing, Reika patting her on the shoulder and saying, "You look great," the insect sighing, "Well, it's not like I care about my image or anything," the others shaking their heads as they could tell she was lying.

"So, Machoke, how's your training going?" Blaziken asked, "You've been more serious about it than usual," the boy replying, "Yeah, well, I need to prepare really hard if I'm going to stand a chance against Lucario," Gallade giving him thumbs up and replying, "Aipom would so proud to hear you say that."

"Are you sure you're not just spending all this time on a grand entrance again?" Reika asked as the others stared, the girl actually having a good point there.

Machoke simply let out a sigh and replied, "I can assure you, not this time," the others shrugging and deciding not to question him further.

And for the rest of the week, Machoke and Lucario did their hardest to ready themselves for the main event while everyone waited in anticipation for it. The remaining days felt longer than usual as a result, but when it finally came to an end, all of the preparations had been made as the final match would take place in the Tokyo Dome.

And as instructed, many arrived an hour early for a special event that was to take place, Nori taking a seat as Beedrill and Weedle sat nearby as well, Beedrill exclaiming, "Thank you all for coming so early, and let me tell you, you will not regret this! The Hero Planet government has agreed to a very special event, an exhibition match between heroes from the past generation!"

Everyone was super excited now as the wasp added, "But this isn't any ordinary match between two old heroes, mind you. No, this is a tag team match between the two most famous teams of all time. Nori, care to introduce them?"

The woman nodded and exclaimed, "In the red corner, the dream team that won the first ever Tag Team Tournament, a pairing that only got stronger and stronger with age, The Raging Bulls!" the crowd going wild as Combusken and Machamp headed toward the ring, Machamp waving to the crowd and blowing kisses. Just like when he left the space station, he was more than happy to be receiving so much attention after his retirement from the hero business.

"And in the blue corner, another set of powerhouses famous for having defeated a pair of fighters who cheated their way into the Tag Team Tournament," Nori stated, "Introducing The Sonic Muscles!" everyone cheering as Greninja and Bouffalant headed toward the ring, Bouffalant saying, "I still think our team name's kinda lame," Greninja remarking, "If you had a better way of combining my speed and your strength into a team name back in the day, you should have said something."

With that, both teams stared each-other down as Nori said, "Even though they're the best of friends, they're treating this like a serious match between rivals, and it only makes sense. Both Machoke and Combusken have fought these two separately before. Machoke defeated both of them while Combusken has only defeated Greninja, but even so, I'm sure both members of The Sonic Muscles want a piece of them."

"You're not really bitter about that, are you?" Machamp asked as both shrugged, Greninja replying, "It may have been humiliating, but you were the one who showed us each the light, so I can't say I'm bitter," Bouffalant nodding and adding, "We're still gonna wipe the floor with you, though."

On that note, Combusken smirked and said, "I've been itching to return to the ring for some time. Let me go first," Machamp nodding and replying, "If you insist," the chicken leaping over the ropes while Bouffalant entered, stating, "I'm taking this one, no ifs, ands or buts," Greninja shrugging and replying, "You have no arguments from me."

With that, the bell was rung as Bouffalant immediately raced toward Combusken with his horns lowered, shouting, "BUFFALO STAMPEDE!" only for the chicken to wait for him to get close before dodging to the side and wrapping an arm around his neck, slamming his chin hard against the mat.

However, the bison was not going to stand for this as he swung his fist into her face, distracting her long enough to wrap his arms around her and start sending knee kicks into her gut. The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "After an impressive counter from Combusken, Bouffalant has responded with a series of knee kicks, and with his power, this is nothing to scoff at!"

However, after a few hits, the chicken smirked and said, "Don't think you can beat me," her beak suddenly lighting flame as she spat, "FIRE PECK!" reeling her head back before sending it forward, striking Bouffalant's forehead with her beak as he winced in pain, releasing his hold.

The crowd was even more thrilled as the chicken proceeded to bend down, sweeping her foot across the mat and causing Bouffalant to trip and fall on his back. She then proceeded to flip him onto his belly before latching onto his leg with her whole body, the chicken turning her body and twisting said spot, Bouffalant trying desperately to ignore the pain.

"And there's that famous family signature move!" Nori exclaimed, "I have to admit, Combusken just might get that win she so desperately needed back when she first fought Bouffalant back in the day!" the bison releasing steam from his nostrils when he noticed Greninja holding out her hand.

"Quick, tag me!" the frog exclaimed, Bouffalant sighing, "I hate to admit it, but I might actually need this," the bison slowly reaching out his arm and slapping it against Greninja's, Combusken knowing she had to release her hold on Bouffalant as per the rules.

Seeing this, Machamp exclaimed, "Hey, Combusken, tag me! I want a piece of Greninja!" the chicken smirking and walking over before tagging him in, saying, "Give her Hell," the two trading places.

"It's been a while since we last fought, hasn't it?" Machamp asked as Greninja wasted no time racing toward him and sending an array of karate chops, Machamp doing his best to block the incoming chops.

Even with four hands, this was not easy as he grunted, "Geez, not one for pleasantries, are you?"

However, after attempting more chops, Greninja knew that Machamp was distracted as she spat, "TONGUE NOOSE!" lashing out her tongue and wrapping it around the man's neck.

Machamp's eyes widened as the frog held on tight, saying, "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because we're friends."

"I figured you wouldn't," the man remarked before smirking and spreading his for hands out before sending them all into the middle of the tongue, Greninja's eyes widening as she released her hold, rubbing the spot. As if that was not enough, Machamp then proceeded to lift her up, flipping her upside down and sending her head into the mat hard with a tombstone piledriver.

The crowd went wild as Greninja got up, gritting her teeth before barking, "HEY, YOU KNOW HOW SENSITIVE MY TONGUE IS!" Machamp remarking, "If it's so sensitive, why do you use it as a weapon?"

The frog twitched, a vein forming on the side of her head as she sent a series of chops at him, shouting, "SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A FISH FACE ANYWAY!" the man sending his own karate chops at her while retorting, "OH YEAH!? AT LEAST I'M NOT A SWAMP MONSTER!"

The two then proceeded to have a slap fight with each other, everyone staring in confusion as Greninja snapped, "FISH-FACED FREAK OF NATURE!" Machamp barking, "SLIMY SWAMP THING!" the bell ringing as Nori sighed, "Break it up."

With that, Combusken and Bouffalant walked into the ring, grabbing both fighters by the shoulders and pulling them away from each-other, Combusken sighing, "Calm down, Machamp," Bouffalant saying, "You too, Greninja. You're supposed to be mature."

With that, the exhibition match was put to a stop as Beedrill sighed, "We were hoping that would last longer, folks. We're sorry," the crowd seeming happy enough to have even witnessed a small fight between these legendary fighters.

With that, Combusken and Machamp were walking down the hall with Machamp having a bag humped over his shoulder. Down this very hall, Machoke was in a training room preparing for his match with Meisai. After a bit of training, the girl took a deep breath before saying, "You've been a great student, Machoke, and it will be a true honour giving you advice during this match."

"Well, you've really helped a lot," the boy replied with a smile, "I still don't know why you'd take the time to help me, but it really means a lot that you would," Meisai bowing her head and saying, "If you don't mind, I need to go to the ladies room."

With that, the girl took off as Machamp and Combusken were closing in on the room, Combusken sighing, "I swear to god, Machamp, even at the age of forty-seven, you're still a kid," the man remarking, "As if you're that much more mature."

He then noticed the door to the training room, knowing that was where Machoke was. However, for whatever reason, only the trainer was allowed to see the boy before the match. With that in mind, Machamp quickly set his bag down right next to the door when the two passed by, the man giving it two quick knocks while Combusken was too busy talking to notice.

"Hey, what say I treat you to some noodles later, eh?" Machamp asked as the chicken beamed, replying, "You know exactly how to get out of trouble."

Once the two were gone, Machoke opened the door and looked around before noticing the bag in front of him and picking it up, grinning and exclaiming, "Hey, what's this!? A gift from a fan, no doubt! Maybe it's food!"

The boy quickly opened it up, his eyes going wide when he noticed inside was not food but rather it was a headband and a pair of wristbands. Each one had a picture of a flame on it. Machoke knew exactly what these were, too. They were the bands worn by his father when he defeated his final opponent before retirement, a dinosaur by the name of Groudon.

The boy put on a serious look and thought, 'I'll make you proud, Dad. I'll carry on the family legacy. Don't you worry about a thing.'

During this time, Bouffalant and Greninja were walking down the hallway on the opposite end of the dome, Greninja sighing, "I'm so sorry, Bouffalant. I don't know what came over me," the bison patting her on the shoulder and replying, "Hey, being friends with that weirdo is enough to make anyone crazy every now and then."

The two then passed by a room where Lucario was in a meditative state, staring at a photo of Riolu. The boy took a deep breath and thought, 'Alright, father, I'm going to do it. I'm going to borrow your techniques, but only for this match, so don't think I'm gonna make a trend of that. I'm only using it now because this is a special occasion.'

Things were certainly getting intense as there was a little less than an hour to go before the match. Both fighters felt ready, but who would end up victorious? It was only a matter of time until the world found out.