With the first week of training having come to a close, it was time for the big moment. Machoke was going to figure out how he pulled off the Muscle Tornado. Or at least he hoped he would.

Aipom had made him a test dummy out of solid metal so it would not break easily and said, "Alright, Machoke, take it away," Talonflame folding his arms and saying, "Yeah, let's see the move that outdid that Sunset Slam you used on me."

"Alright, I'm sure I can do it," Machoke said with a sigh before wrapping his arms around the dummy from behind and leaping into the air with it in his grasp. He then grabbed hold of its wrist as his mind drew a blank.

He then ended up landing along with the dummy as Talonflame gave a slow clap and sarcastically said, "That was awesome," Lucario sighing, "I seriously doubt that was the whole move."

"Don't you remember how I described it?" Gardevoir asked, "After you grabbed the wrists, you wrapped your legs around Missingno's and spun vertically while leaning your body backwards."

Machoke blinked and smirked, saying, "Right. I used my own version of those spinning finishers he used on you guys," the boy leaping high into the air and once again latching onto the wrists.

He then wrapped his legs around the dummy's and started to spin vertically along with the dummy. But just as he was about to lean back, his eyes started to swirl as he wound up releasing his hold and falling on his back.

Aipom face-palmed and sighed, "You can't be serious. I thought you could handle dizziness," Machoke groaning, "I did too."

Talonflame nodded and said, "Yeah, come on, I saw you recover from Lopunny's Dizzy Punch like it was nothing. Seriously, you're starting to disappoint me, man."

"I hate to say it, but I agree," Lucario remarked, "It's not like you to have this much trouble pulling off a new technique, especially one that you've already performed successfully once."

"That's just it," Machoke replied with a sigh, "I don't think that move was complete. I honestly feel like there's some step that was missing from it the first time."

"Even so, it was effective," Aipom remarked, "So just rely on what you have now," Machoke nodding as he once again took hold of the dummy, Blaziken sighing, "He'd better get it right this time. I wanna see something at least."

Machoke attempted the move again as he said, "Right, I can do this," and yet strangely enough, he still found himself unable to figure it out, Aipom saying, "Wait, I think I know what we can do about this."

Suddenly, the boy found himself face-to-face with Talonflame, the falcon cracking his knuckles and saying, "I've been waiting for a rematch with you," Machoke turning to Aipom and groaning, "Remind me again why I'm doing this!"

"If I'm not mistaken, you tend to pull of miracles under the worst of circumstances," Aipom replied, "So it only stands to reason that you should let Talonflame beat the crap out of you before attempting your finishing move."

"Look, just cause we're friends now doesn't mean I'm gonna hold back," Talonflame said with a maniacal smirk as Machoke panicked.

Unfortunately, the sparring match proved ineffective as Machoke had no reason to beat up Talonflame like he did during the Next Gen Tournament. Sure, he did manage to land his Sunset Slam and deal some considerable damage in the end, but this was not the move he was trying to use.

Machoke let out a sigh as Lucario said, "Wait, maybe he should try it on me. Unlike Talonflame, I know how to counter all of his other finishing moves, so he'll have no choice but to try his Muscle Tornado to defeat me."

All went silent as Machoke said, "That might actually work," Aipom scratching her head with her tail hand and adding, "It's worth a shot."

The practice match went on for a while until Machoke saw a perfect opportunity. Sure, he had finally gotten over his loss to Lucario, but it still felt satisfying to have him open to a finishing move. And with that, Machoke grabbed hold of his shoulders and leapt high above the practice ring, locking Lucario's wrists in place while wrapping his legs around those of the dog.

'Nothing too complex,' the dog thought, 'I could counter this easily if it wasn't for the spinning portion,' and it seemed so as Machoke started to spin while a huge gust of wind surrounded the two. With that, the others watched in pure amazement as the boy flipped himself and Lucario one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" ramming Lucario's head hard into the surface.

The others clapped as Blaziken said, "That was pretty cool," Gardevoir squealing, "Way to go!"

Machoke looked down at Lucario and spat, "Are you okay!?" only for the dog to rise to his feet and sigh, "If you'd used that on me in the Olympic finals, that would have actually knocked me out. But I must say, it is a fairly impressive move. Not the most original out there, but still effective."

"I still feel like it's missing something, though," the boy sighed as Aipom gave him a sweet smile and replied, "That doesn't matter. As long as it's good enough to catch Giratina off-guard, you'll be fine."

Machoke was still unsure. He had only seen one of the dragon's abilities and like everyone else, he knew of Giratina's reputation. There was no way he could get cocky, not when facing an opponent like this. After his match with Lucario, he knew just how dangerous over-confidence could be.

After a short break, Machoke tried using the technique again on the practice dummy just to test whether or not he could use it at all times. Thankfully, it seemed after getting it down once, he was finally able to use it under any circumstance no matter what. This was perfect, but this did not change the fact that he would still need to practice everything else for the rest of the week. After all, it was not like he could rely on this one finishing move alone to defeat Giratina.

During this time, Lucario had returned to London so he could spend time with Amanda. After all, if Giratina won, they might not get another chance to have fun together. Even Gardevoir and Gallade decided to spend a couple of days in Paris just so they could have some bonding time with their parents.

And just before the day of the match, Aipom had Machoke go to bed early. After all of his hard work, he would need to be fully rested for this fight. If the dragon was truly as bad as the stories said, Machoke would require all the energy he could muster.

And soon enough, the day had finally arrived. Giratina was already in the Tokyo Dome, having spent the last two weeks flying around the planet just to see how much things had changed over the years and what he would be willing to spare. In other words, he had already made plans for how he would rule Earth.

At around noon, Machoke was standing outside of the Tokyo Dome as many people had arrived, the seats now filled. As scared as the people were, they had also looked forward to this match and were excited to finally see it, an epic clash between the former champion's son and Giratina. Both fighters had near-flawless track records with only one official loss each, so naturally the tensions were high.

As Machoke continued to stare at the entrance, he heard footsteps behind him. The boy turned and saw, of all people, his father, Machamp, and his mother, Kala, standing right there. He was about to say something when Machamp held up a hand with a serious look in his eyes.

"Your match is about to start," the man said, "I'm very proud of you, son. Getting over your first loss was one thing, but challenging history's strongest villain..."

Tears then welled up in his eyes as he cried, "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! EVEN I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE GUTS TO DO THAT!" Kala rolling her eyes and sighing, "Son, I'm sorry I forced you to go to Hero School, but it seems to have shaped you into a true hero. Now go and make me proud, alright?"

"Yeah," Machoke replied with a grin as he gave them both a hug.

After that, he turned around and made his way into the area. Normally, the boy would have planned a big spectacle for his entrance, but this match was the most serious for him, even more serious than when he faced Lucario in the Hero Olympics finals.

There were only a few minutes until the match was scheduled to start as Nori was in her old seat, exclaiming, "Folks, we are here at the Tokyo Dome where the biggest match in recent years is about to take place! The great Machoke, the son of Machamp who got second place in the hero Olympics is going up against Giratina!" the audience cheering heavily.

Beedrill was also there as he stated, "Yeah, it's a rather intense time, but even so, we could not be more excited right now. This match could determine the fate of Earth as we know it."

After he said this, though, the wasp thought to himself, 'Please win, Machoke. We did our best to try and stop him. Don't let our efforts be in vain.'

Of course, Machoke's friends had front-row seats and were thinking the same thing. Even his friends in other areas were tuned in for this. They did not wish to miss a second.

Lopunny and Heracross had come to Scyther's house to watch the match with her, all of them beyond excited for this. Meanwhile, Tyrogue and his siblings were also anticipating this, Hitmonchan relieved that Gallade was not facing this monster. After all, she would rather live as a slave than have her future husband killed by the most powerful dragon in existence.

Gothitelle, Octillery and their new ally, Mawile were also anticipating this as were Scrafty and Bisharp. Of course Lucario and Amanda were watching from home with, of all beings, Talonflame as their guest.

Even Clauncher, who was currently helping the daycare owner take care of the kids, could not help but turn the TV to the correct station, the kids equally invested in this. Needless to say, they were all thinking the same thing Beedrill had, especially since Lucario and Talonflame were the ones who had helped Machoke more-or-less master his Muscle Tornado.

Nori pointed at Giratina and exclaimed, "As you can see, Giratina has already arrived and is waiting in the red corner! As you all know, the only hero who was ever able to stop him was Arceus, but perhaps Machoke will change that!"

The audience members simply folded their arms as Reika sighed, "I really hope he can do this. I know he has a knack for this sort of thing, but I'm afraid this might even be beyond his abilities."

"Don't count him out just yet," Blaziken replied, "If I know Machoke, he'll find a way to save us all."

With all going quiet among the crowd, Nori pointed at the opposite side of the area and exclaimed, "And in the blue corner, the son of Machamp himself, one who has saved us from many villains and almost defeated Lucario in the Hero Olympics! Weighing seventy-and-a-half kilograms, Machoke!"

The crowd waited anxiously as the boy's friends thought, 'He's gonna do something stupid, isn't he?' and yet they were shocked when the boy entered the area dressed in the same clothes he had worn to his finals match. Sure, it was not much of an addition. Along with his usual speedo, he sported a headband and a pair of wristbands, each with a picture of a flame on it.

To the untrained eye, this did not seem like a big deal, but these were the same clothes Machamp had worn when he fought Groudon and saved Tokyo from disaster. These clothes symbolized the Mach family's fighting spirit and just having them on built up Machoke's confidence.

As if that was not enough, the boy did not have any dumb gimmicks for his entrance. It was a straight-forward walk toward the ring. There were no expensive floats, no stupid costumes, no acrobatic routines, just a simple entrance.

Of course, Aipom joined him as she was still his trainer no matter what. And as Machoke climbed into the ring, she stayed right next to it so she could give advice when seen fit.

Giratina folded his arms and eyed Machoke as he said, "Good to see you're taking this as seriously as you should. Those bands of yours are pretty neat," the lizard boy not sure whether to accept the compliment or not as the dragon added, "During these last two weeks, I've heard a lot of amazing things about you, such as how you almost won the Hero Olympics and how most of the villains who threatened Tokyo were defeated by you. I look forward to seeing what you can do, so don't disappoint me."

"Don't worry, I have no intention of that," Machoke remarked as his friends cheered, Gardevoir squealing, "YOU LOOK SO COOL, MACHOKE!" Gallade and Blaziken adding, "Give him Hell!"

"Well, at least he looks professional," Reika sighed, "Let's just hope he can pull off more than that," Machamp and Kala seated in the back row.

After a few seconds, Nori rang the bell as the match had finally begun. However, neither fighter moved as Giratina smirked and said, "Since you had the guts to challenge me, Machoke, I'll let you have the first move."

All went silent as the boy frowned and remarked, "Big mistake!" before charging toward the dragon. However, it seemed Giratina had other plans as he sent a strike toward the boy's chest.

However, Machoke had a feeling he would try this as he dodged to the right and grabbed hold of the dragon's arm. Giratina's eyes widened as the boy proceeded to slam him chin-first into the mat, the audience going wild as Nori exclaimed, "Machoke has already gotten an early lead! Maybe he can win this match after all!"

However, just as the boy was about to set the dragon up for a submission hold, all went silent when Giratina's body sunk into the mat. No one knew what to make of this as Aipom whimpered, "Oh no, I forgot. Giratina's not just a dragon type."

"Well, what other type is he?" Machoke remarked when the dragon rose up behind him, Gallade and Blaziken barking, "BEHIND YOU!"

With that, the dragon not only wrapped his arms around Machoke but also his wings, which he had separated into three sections like before. Less than half-a-minute into the match and Giratina had already set up Machoke for one of his signature moves as he leapt high into the air.

"He's also a ghost type," Aipom whimpered as Giratina leaned backward, flipping himself and Machoke over one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and shouting, "SHADOW SNEAK SUPLEX!" slamming the boy's head hard into the mat.

The crowd gasped as Nori spat, "And already, Giratina has landed a fierce blow on Machoke! Thankfully, he's not bleeding, but that still looked painful!"

And it certainly was as Giratina released his hold on the boy and grinned wickedly, saying, "As you can see, I'm not messing around. I was already certain I would win, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna hold back. What you just experienced was one of many powerful techniques at my disposal."

Machoke was now frightened as he turned toward Aipom and uttered, "Okay, I've never faced a ghost type before. Is it normal for them to sink into the mat like that?" the monkey groaning, "Yes. But ghost types are worse than that. Because they're part-ghost, they can also make their bodies vanish into thin air."

"Oh, so they're like actual ghosts," Machoke groaned as Aipom said, "Yeah, but I'm confused. How did his rings and mask sink into the mat with him?"

"So that's not normal?" Reika asked as Cici trembled and whimpered, "Oh god, that's frightening."

"She's right," Blaziken said while stroking her chin, "That really shouldn't be possible. Sure, the fighter himself can sink into the ground and vanish, but clothing shouldn't. Because of this, ghost types usually don't wear clothes during a match."

"Well, I still can't do the disappearing act without having my jewelry shown," Giratina replied, "but I did have my mask and rings washed in the pool of shadows thus making them capable of passing through objects like me. So while I can't use one evasive manoeuvre associated with my type, I can use the other."

Machoke blinked and said, "Well, at least that removes one advantage of yours," but despite him sounding confident, the fact that Giratina could still pass through the floor was already bad enough. He would certainly need to be careful.

Not only that, but he would need to think fast as the dragon charged at him. With this in mind, Machoke swerved to the right and sent his elbow into the back of Giratina's neck, the dragon roaring in pain while the crowd cheered again.

Unfortunately, like last time, the dragon sunk into the mat as Machoke trembled, looking around. However, his fear only heightened when Giratina's hands rose up from the mat and grabbed hold of his ankles, the boy in absolute panic as the dragon's entire body emerged. He then proceeded to ram Machoke's belly into the mat while the crowd winced.

The boy slowly pushed himself up as he took a deep breath. Once again, despite taking in a powerful attack earlier, Machoke had not bled yet. But even so, he would certainly need to be more careful. But just as he was about to attack, Giratina once again sunk into the mat.

Aipom bit her lower lip as Machoke groaned, "Any ideas?" the monkey replying, "Listen for when he rises behind you. Something I noticed is that whenever he comes back up, he makes a ghostly sound."

Tsuya shivered and groaned, "I noticed that too," Gallade smirking and replying, "Yeah, he could use that."

"Alright," Machoke replied as he closed his eyes. And sure enough, he could hear that very sound when the dragon rose up behind him, the boy turning around and sending a karate chop into the dragon's neck.

The crowd cheered as Giratina's eyes and mouth were wide open. The dragon then backed up but tried his best not to look intimidated. After all, he had an image to uphold.

However, one thing he had trouble hiding was that shockingly, this dealt more damage than any karate chop he had ever taken in from any hero. Was Machoke more powerful than the dragon had given him credit for?

Whatever the case, it seemed his ghost trick had been defeated, and much sooner than expected as he smirked and said, "Well, you saw through my tactics. Unfortunately for you, that's not good enough!"

Machoke gulped and tried his best to remain focused, Blaziken saying, "Don't let your guard down for a second. Lord knows what else he has in his arsenal."

"Your friend is right," Giratina stated, "You have only seen a small sample of my power," and on that note, the dragon once again sunk into the mat as Machoke smirked and remarked, "You're actually trying this again? Come on, I know how to get around this."

With that in mind, Machoke once again closed his eyes to listen for the dragon. But when Giratina emerged from the surface behind the boy, he went back under when Machoke turned to strike him with a sweep kick. The boy's eyes widened as the dragon wasted no time appearing next to him.

What happened next was a big shock as when Machoke turned toward him, the dragon's eyes shot wide open as he exclaimed, "HEX!"

Machoke went blank when he looked deep into Giratina's piercing gaze. Suddenly, he found himself unable to move. No matter how hard he tried he could not budge while the audience stared in confusion.

"Hey, Machoke, what are you doing?" Reika asked as Gallade exclaimed, "Yeah, this is no time to be scared! He's not doing anything!"

"I don't think he has a choice," Gardevoir uttered as the others stared at her, Beedrill nodding and saying, "Yeah, I'm getting that vibe too."

"You're right," Giratina said with a smirk, "You know, Machoke, you should feel honoured. Up until now, Arceus was the only opponent I felt was worthy of this technique. It's a simple move, but an effective one. The only downside is that I can only use it once a day, but when I use it, it leaves my opponent immobile for two-and-a-half minutes."

This was certainly bad news for Machoke. Sure, that did not sound like a long time, but in a match, especially against one so powerful, it certainly was and Giratina planned to use this time to his full potential. Sure, his explanation had wasted the first thirty seconds, thus leaving him with two minutes, but that was all the time he needed.

With that in mind, he started off by pointing his wing claws at Machoke along with his fists and shouting, "LET'S START WITH A CLASSIC! I CALL IT THOUSAND FISTS!"

With that in mind, the dragon sent an onslaught of punches from his wings and fists onto various parts of Machoke's body. While the fists certainly dealt a lot of damage, the worst pain naturally came from the wings as the spikes attached to the tips covered Machoke in holes, blood dripping down his flesh as the only expression he could give was the same look he had when Hex had been used.

Once the first minute was up, Machoke had taken in a grand total of one thousand punches, the dragon saying, "Most opponents would have gone down after taking in this move, but just to be on the safe side-"

The dragon then took hold of Machoke with his arms and said, "I think this'll suffice," as his wings reverted to their normal state. Giratina then took to the sky until he was as high as twenty seconds could get him.

He then proceeded to tilt Machoke's body so his head was facing the mat and pointed his head up toward the sky shouting, "DRAGON BREATH DRIVER!"

With that, Giratina opened his mouth wide and unleashed a blast of flames into the sky that sent him toward the canvas at the speed of a rocket. And sure enough, the move ended with Machoke's head being slammed hard into the mat, blood escaping from his mouth.

Everyone stared in shock as the two-and-a-half minutes were up, Giratina releasing his hold on Machoke and allowing him to collapse. No one could believe what they had just seen. The match had not even been a particularly long one and yet it looked like their last hope had already been defeated.