This was looking really bad. Machoke seemed down for the count after taking in just one blow from Giratina's new form. Was this really it? Was it truly over?

"Machoke put up a very good fight," Nori uttered, "but it looks like Giratina has won this match," the crowd staring in stunned silence.

Even Machamp and Kala were not sure how to feel about this. Sure, Machoke always seemed to get up after taking in blows like that, but not even he was incapable of losing. And considering Giratina had finally regained the power he used to end so many matches in seconds, one could only assume that the boy would never get up again.

"I can't believe it," Reika uttered, "Come on, Machoke," Blaziken gritting her teeth and growling, "Dammit, I wish I could just go into that ring right now and clean Giratina's clock. But this was the agreement. If Machoke loses this match, Giratina's free to do whatever he wants and we can't do anything to stop him."

The dragon looked upon the crowd with a smirk and spread out his arms, shouting, "Don't look so surprised, people of Tokyo, Japan! Admit it, deep down inside, you all knew this was inevitable! I'll admit, that boy put up an impressive struggle, but he was doomed to fail from the start! Just be glad you were spared for as long as you were for once I pierce this warrior's heart, you all belong to me!"

"Dammit!" Talonflame cursed as he fumed at the screen, "This is bullshit! He landed two of his finishing moves! It was hard enough for me to get up from one of those!" Lucario sighing, "Relax. I have a feeling this might not be over yet."

"That's right," Amanda replied with a smile, "Don't forget, he took in every single one of my brother's finishing moves and still managed to keep fighting. Sure, he lost, but he took in more punishment than any of Lucario's opponents have ever taken in, right, Lucario?"

The dog nodded and replied, "Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that Machoke still has a chance."

And all the while, Machoke's friends in other countries were watching this and thinking the same thing. Sure, Mawile had her doubts as she had never seen the boy in combat, but Gothitelle and Octillery assured her that the boy had been in this predicament more times than they could count.

Even Weedle had invited Elebuzz to his place to watch this match live. And in a Hero Planet school, Ambipom and her students had taken the time to watch this. The caterpillar and bee were both praying that Machoke would rise while Ambipom just knew that this was not the end, especially since Machamp had just as much trouble defeating Groudon back in the day and still won.

With this in mind, Gardevoir stood up from her seat and squeaked, "Come on, Machoke! I know that wasn't enough to beat you! You taught me to stay strong in these sorts of situations, so I know you can do this! So get up and win this match!"

"Yeah, she's right!" Gallade spat, "It's not over yet!" Giratina rolling his eyes and sighing, "You hero types are all the same. You just can't accept when it's over."

"That's cause it ain't!" Blaziken snapped, "You might not know it, but Machoke has a knack for getting out of these situations! You'll see! He'll make a full recovery when it counts!" Cici nodding and adding, "Yeah, he always manages to pull through at the right time."

"Yes, and this has been a trend with his family for generations," Keiko stated, "I know. His father was exactly the same," Machamp nodding and barking, "Come on, son, get up!"

The crowd and even Giratina were shocked to see him there, but the silence ended when Kala exclaimed, "COME ON, SON, KICK HIS SORRY ASS ALL THE WAY TO NEXT WEEK!"

"That's right!" Reika shouted, "Show us that fighting spirit of yours!" many other members of the audience giving their support while Giratina gritted his teeth and pointed all eight of his wing spikes toward the boy, shouting, "YOU WON'T BE SO CONFIDENT WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH HIM!"

"Machoke," came a surprising voice, everyone turning to see it was Beedrill giving this chant as he repeated, "Machoke. Machoke."

Nori nodded and rose her fist in the air, chanting, "Machoke! Machoke!" Reika, Cici and Tsuya all shouting, "Machoke! Machoke!"

It was not long until Gardevoir, Gallade and Blaziken joined in followed by Machamp and Kala. Aipom also joined the chant, waving all three of her hands in the air. Throh and Sawk gave their support as well and soon enough, the entire dome was flooded with people chanting Machoke's name. And during all of this, Giratina only continued to get more annoyed by the second.

With that in mind, he shouted, "ULTIMATE SHADOW CLAW!" sending his claws toward Machoke's chest only for the boy to suddenly wrap his arms around himself. Everyone stared in shock as they could not believe it. Sure, his arms had been pierced, but Machoke had just saved himself with the Mach Cover.

All went silent as the boy slowly opened his eyes while gritting his teeth. Giratina's eyes widened as he pries his spikes out and aimed them toward the boy's forehead instead. However, there was no way Machoke would allow this.

As such, he threw his arms upward and grabbed hold of all eight wing strands, the dragon growling before shouting, "STOP BEING SO PERSISTENT! CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S HOPELESS!?"

The crowd was unsure of whether to cheer or not when Giratina lifted him up, flinging the boy high into the air. He then vanished briefly before appearing right above Machoke with his forehead aimed at the boy's back, shouting, "SHADOW FORCE!" and ramming himself hard into that very spot.

"MACHOKE!" everyone spat with panic in their eyes as the boy was once again slammed hard into the canvas, Aipom letting down light tears and shaking her head.

"As you can see, this was inevitable," Giratina said with a sigh, "He barely recovered from that last hit. There's no way he's getting up from that."

However, it seemed like Machoke had incredible fortune as just when the dragon was ready to finish him off for good, the boy once again recovered. Not only that, he had managed to rise to his feet and act as if all the damage dealt earlier meant nothing, the boy taking a few deep breaths before sporting a serious look.

"No," Giratina uttered, shaking his head, "How? How do you keep getting back up?"

Everyone else was silent as the dragon snapped, "Please answer my question! How do you keep getting up!? No one should be able to recover from that and yet somehow, you always seem to rise to your feet! How do you pull it off!?"

"It's like I said earlier," Machoke remarked, "You've never dealt with the likes of my family before. I'm pretty sure if my grandfather had fought you back in the day, he would have been even more of a challenge than Arceus."

Reika let down light tears and sniffed, "You know, I'm used to him being badass under the worst of circumstances, but not this badass," Gardevoir nodding and replying, "I know. He's so cool."

"Stop it!" Giratina retorted, "All you people are supporting is the inability to know when to quit! I'm willing to bet that he really has been beaten but his body refuses to admit it!" Machoke remarking, "If that's true, then how am I able to speak to you? My brain would have to function for that to work, right?"

The dragon had nothing to say to that. Machoke was right. Somehow he had survived two finishing moves while Giratina was in his strongest state, but that hardly mattered. All the dragon would have to do is hit him with one more move like that and it would be over.

With that in mind, he sped toward Machoke with his wings and arms at the ready only for the boy two send a two-handed karate chop into his chest. The crowd went wild as Aipom squealed, "ALRIGHT, MACHOKE, DON'T STOP!"

"I don't plan to!" the boy remarked as he grabbed hold of the Giratina's arm, flipping the dragon over his head as the back of his neck hit the canvas.

The crowd was even more ecstatic as Machoke thought, 'Alright, I need to think about my next move. My biggest mistake when facing Lucario was using my best move too early. I'm not doing that again.'

However, before he could think further, Giratina quickly rose to his feet and growled, saying, "You are seriously pissing me off. I'm going to end this right now."

Machoke once again was on the defensive but the dragon refused to allow himself to fall for another evasive action. As such, he sank into the mat while all went silent, Machoke closing his eyes and listening for the sound. Unfortunately, it seemed Giratina had other plans as his wings came up behind Machoke, the boy turning only to notice the dragon's whole body had not risen. It seemed the wings were a distraction while the dragon's arms came up from under Machoke, taking hold of his ankles.

"MACHOKE, GET OUT OF THAT!" Aipom screeched as the boy laughed nervously, uttering, "I don't think I can."

And just like the last time Giratina had done this, he rose up from the mat and held Machoke high above his head. However, it seemed he had other plans as he said, "No, you could probably escape from this."

With that in mind, the dragon held Machoke close while wrapping his wing strands around him and leapt high above the ring, five stories to be exact. He then put on a serious look and said, "You are by the far the most annoying hero I have ever met, but it's finally over."

With this in mind, the dragon lifted Machoke up so his head was just slightly higher up. Giratina then proceeded to spin while a dark wind blew around him, leaning backward and shouting, "NOW TO USE MY OWN VERSION OF A MOVE YOU TRIED ON ME, THOUGH THE NAME IS A LOT MORE THREATENING! OMINOUS WIND SUPLEX!"

The audience stared in stunned silence. There was no way Machoke could get out of this. Even Machamp was uncertain of what to do.

"Honey?" Kala uttered, "Is there something he can do?" the man sighing, "Well, there is something, but it took me over twenty years to figure this out. I'm not sure if he can pull it off."

However, it seemed Gardevoir could not just accept this as she squeaked, "COME ON, MACHOKE, FIGHT IT!" the boy's eyes widening as he gritted his teeth and said, "You made a mistake jumping so high up, because now you've given me the time to do this!"

With this in mind, the boy let out a loud battle cry as his muscles expanded to an immense size. Machamp's eyes widened as this proved more than enough to force Giratina's wing fragments off of him, the boy's muscles returning to normal size as he slipped out of the hold.

'That's right, this was the move that helped Dad defeat Groudon,' Machoke thought with a grin, Giratina too shocked by all of this to even respond.

As it just so happened, on the night before the match, Machoke had watched recorded footage of Machamp's match with Groudon. The red dinosaur had come very close to defeating him, setting him up for a very powerful move that he called 'Eruption Driver'. With this, he had Machamp's head aimed at the mat while fire formed around them.

But just as the attack was about to land, Machamp managed to multiply the size of his muscles by ten, allowing him to expand his body to a size more than big enough to overpower the dinosaur's grip. Sure, it was a technique so hard to pull off that it only lasted half-a-second, but that was more than enough to end it all.

Machamp let down a light teardrop with a smile on his face and thought, 'That's my boy,' Kala's eyes sparkling as she said, "I'd completely forgotten about that."

The others cheered heavily as Gardevoir pointed her finger at Machoke like a shot-gun and exclaimed, "FINISH HIM!"

Machoke nodded with a grin before grabbing hold of Giratina and spinning his body around so his back was facing the boy. He then took hold of the dragon's wrists and wrapped his legs around his ankles, the audience grinning with anticipation. However, just as he was about to finish the move, he suddenly remembered what he had forgotten to do every other time.

With that in mind, Machoke pulled even harder thus forcing Giratina's arms and legs back further and bending his back so now the dragon was in too much pain to save himself. And while watching this, Lucario smirked and said, "Such a simple addition yet more than enough to perfect the move. I'd expect no less from Machoke."

Talonflame nodded and said, "Yep, that's the creative mind that kicked my ass," Amanda exclaiming, "YOU RULE, MACHOKE!"

"Yeah, you show him who's boss!" Gallade exclaimed, Blaziken adding, "You got him on the ropes now, buddy!"

With that, Machoke spun his and Giratina's bodies around while a light twister formed, the boy shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" crashing hard into the canvas as smoke rose up.

All went silent in the crowd as everyone could hear the sound of metal shattering. And sure enough, when the smoke cleared, it seemed Machoke had shattered Giratina's mask with his attack, the dragon twitching all over with shock in his expression. And after a few seconds, Machoke released his hold as the dragon fell hard onto his belly, the boy taking many deep breaths as Beedrill and Nori turned to each-other, the two nodding their heads.

With that, Nori rang the bell and exclaimed, "AND AFTER A LONG AND INTENSE MATCH, THE WINNER IS MACHOKE!" the crowd going wild as Reika gave Cici and Tsuya a big hug.

Gardevoir squealed with excitement as Gallade patted her on the shoulder with a big smile of his own. Blaziken gave Machoke thumbs up while Machamp and Kala could not have been happier.

However, everyone gasped when they heard Giratina let out a low moan. However, their fear was unneeded as the dragon was unable to move, Machoke turning to face him as he took a deep breath.

"I hate to admit it, but in the end, you were the better fighter," Giratina uttered, "Go ahead. Kill me. You're all better off without me anyway, right?"

However, while no one else knew how to respond to this, Machoke shook his head and sighed, "Something else you need to know about my family is that we don't believe in killing anyone. No matter how horrible you are, we aim to save people from you without resorting to murder."

Gardevoir gave the boy a sweet smile as Machoke grinned and added, "You really were a tough opponent in the end. I'll be honest, I thought I was gonna die," the dragon staring in disbelief and retorting, "How can you act so calm about that!? You know what would have happened if I won this match!"

"Yes, but it's all over now," Machoke replied as Giratina remarked, "What makes you so sure I'll keep my promise after I regain my strength? For all you know, I'll likely challenge you again and use what I've learned from our match to defeat you!"

"Because even the darkest of souls have a little bit of light," Machoke replied with a light smile, everyone applauding him as Blaziken sighed, "He may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he does have a way with words."

"You're insane," the dragon remarked, "but even so, even us villains are bound to the code. Not even we would break an agreement, so by your demands, once I can move again, I'll leave Earth forever."

"Actually, I changed my mind," Machoke replied as everyone stared silently. Not once had a hero or villain ever changed the terms of a match no matter what. Could the boy even do that?

"I see hope for you," Machoke said with a grin, "I don't know what mankind did to make you hate it so much, but honestly, things have changed. You can always change for the better. So instead of having you banished from Earth, I'm thinking community service might be better."

The dragon's eyes widened as he remembered how due to his appearance, no one ever wanted anything to do with him. Back then, the council was much more judgemental and assumed someone who looked like Giratina could do no good. But if what Machoke said was right, there might have been a chance for him.

As such, the dragon took a deep breath and asked, "Do you honestly believe people could accept me?" Machoke folding his arms and replying, "I don't know. Do you think you could accept him, people?"

A few people in the crowd hesitated until Gardevoir smiled softly and replied, "I could," Gallade shrugging and adding, "I'd be willing to give him a shot."

"Yeah, a guy like him would make a good ally," Blaziken stated while Beedrill and Nori both grinned.

And soon enough, the crowd seemed to be won over for the most part. Some people were a bit sceptical, but the majority of the crowd was surprisingly willing to give the dragon a second chance despite every horrible thing he had done.

The dragon then let out a sigh and said, "You've given me a lot to think about, but don't think for a minute that this officially means anything. For all you know, I might just try to take over again when my community service is done, so watch yourself," Machoke smirking and remarking, "If that happens, I'll be ready for you."

With that, Giratina allowed his wings and hands to be cuffed as he was loaded onto a stretcher and taken out of the Tokyo Dome. However, it seemed all the damage dealt to Machoke earlier had finally taken its toll as he coughed up blood and fell forward on his stomach, panic filling the area as Beedrill spat, "SOMEONE TEND TO HIM AS WELL!"

His friends and parents ran toward the ring, all of them beyond concerned right now. After putting up such an amazing fight, who was to say Machoke would be able to recover? Sure, he had a knack for getting out of tight spots, but even he had never sustained this much damage and been the last one standing afterwards.

In fact, the aftermath was so serious that Machoke had spent an entire week in a coma. Needless to say, his friends were beyond happy when he finally woke up in his hospital bed, groaning, "How did I wind up here?"

"MACHOKE!" Aipom squealed as she leapt onto his face and smothered him, the boy groaning, "Why do you always have to do that?" Gardevoir breathing a sigh of relief and saying, "Well, you were out for a week."

"A week?" the boy groaned, "Aw man, I could have used that time for something else," Gallade and Blaziken rolling their eyes as the chicken said, "Well, now we can make up for that. The doctor says you can move again. It's a good thing we heroes recover faster than humans, eh?"

Needless to say, this was certainly a happy day. Not only was Machoke all better but the world was safe from Giratina and it was all thanks to him.

And with all said and done, peace had finally returned. In fact, things had become so quiet since Giratina's defeat that many heroes decided to take a few vacations granted one hero in each town or city stayed behind to keep things safe.

Missingno's old allies had turned around for the better, especially after hearing about everything that had happened. Like Mawile, the remaining six realized that they had been doing the wrong thing all along and became heroes, each one claiming a different area. Of course, they did end up having to spend a few months in prison first.

Even Tyranitar deeply regretted everything he had done and before becoming a hero on Earth himself after he was released, he paid his respects to Psyla. After all, the wolf had used up all of her strength and died just to put him out of commission so he could no longer hurt anyone. How could the dinosaur not feel guilty about that?

After a year had passed since Machoke and his friends had been assigned to protect Earth, the boy arranged a get-together in which he and all the others would meet up in Shinjuku Gyoen and just hang out for a whole day. He would have suggested a week, but there was always the possibility of something going wrong within that time frame. And sure enough, every one of his friends arrived.

Scrafty and Bisharp had shown up with big smiles on their faces, the lizard giving Gardevoir a hug. Scyther, Lopunny and Heracross were more than happy to be there and even Talonflame had decided to go with them. As a matter of fact, they had forgiven him for his deception and accepted him in their group again.

Lucario was also there and because this meeting was during the weekend, Amanda decided to come with him. Clauncher also arrived, though she had agreed to travel with Octillery, Gothitelle and Mawile since the octopus had her own submarine to make travelling much faster.

Tyrogue and his siblings were also there along with Dodrio. Golduck, Barbaracle and Ninetales had also agreed to join the party. After all, Machoke had taught all three of them what being a hero was truly about, so they definitely considered him a friend.

Of course, heroes were not the only ones there. Reika, Cici and Tsuya were more than happy to be there, Tsuya now fawning over Talonflame as the falcon groaned, "Seriously, does this chick have a problem or something?" the girl sighing, "Oh, Talonflame, I know deep down inside, you're really just a big sweetheart," the falcon exclaiming, "Seriously, get this girl away from me!"

Reika and Cici both giggled as Reika asked, "Say, Cici, how's your training coming along?" the other girl pulling down her right sleeve and flexing, her muscles actually bigger than Reika's now as the girl whistled and said, "Okay, maybe you should be the one going into pro wrestling when you grow up instead of me."

Cici blushed brightly as it seemed Machoke had even invited Enkai Mizu, the deformed aquarium owner who had helped him win the three-legged race during the Hero Olympics. And of course, the man had brought his wife, who everyone besides Machoke thought was far too attractive to be married to someone like him.

And naturally, Keiko and Aipom were there talking to one-another as Keiko asked, "So, any idea why Scizor couldn't make it?" the monkey replying, "According to Scyther, she invited her to come along but Scizor felt like it would be better if Scyther started doing everything by herself now."

"I know she's decided Scyther is ready for independence, but seriously?" Keiko asked as Aipom shrugged, Machoke exclaiming, "Hey, Aipom, me and the others are gonna play Volleyball! Wanna join us?"

The monkey's eyes sparkled as Keiko nodded and said, "Go for it," the monkey squealing with excitement and sprinting toward the area.

The human woman could not help but chuckle. After all, Aipom had spent so long trying to keep up a 'too mature to be ten' image and yet deep down, not even she could completely give up the child inside of her.

Lucario and Machoke were both on opposing teams as the dog served a spike toward the boy. However, Machoke seemed ready as he leapt high into the air, striking the ball hard with his fist and sending it over Lucario's head, the boy exclaiming, "YES, I FINALLY BEAT YOU!" the dog chuckling and replying, "Yes, it seems you did."

Gallade and Hitmonchan felt no need to join as the two of them were more interested in catching up. After all, they were a couple and yet due to their roles, they barely had the time to see each-other. Even so, they were happy to have a moment to just spend time with one-another.

Even Reika had found a chance to be alone with Scyther. She was still unsure of why she wanted to talk to the bug more than anyone else, but she would find out today what it was about.

"So, Scyther," the girl uttered while biting her lower lip, "just out of curiosity, what are you looking for in a mate?" Scyther replying, "I haven't thought about that until recently. I actually dated a guy for a while in New York."

Reika's eyes widened until the bug added, "Unfortunately, he was just a two-timer who only wanted me for my fame. To be honest, I think I might like girls better anyway," a big smile forming on Reika's face. But as much as she wanted to, the girl chose not to go further than that one question, at least not yet.

Machoke watched this from a distance as Gardevoir approached him and asked, "Are you upset?" the boy shaking his head and replying, "Nah. Honestly, I'm glad Reika's found herself. Besides, I think she and Scyther might make a cute couple."

Gardevoir gave a warm smile as the boy added, "Besides, there's already someone else I like a lot better, and I think a relationship between the two of us would actually work."

Gallade and Hitmonchan overheard this and looked up, Lucario, Amanda and Blaziken also showing much interest, Machoke not realizing he could be heard as he laughed nervously, his cheeks flushed pink. Gardevoir, however, did not seem to realize where he was going with this as she asked, "So, who's the lucky girl?"

"Well, let me answer your question with another one," Machoke replied before taking a deep breath and asking, "Gardevoir, will you go out with me sometime?"

Gardevoir gasped, her eyes wide open as Gallade grinned and whispered, "I knew it," Blaziken sighing, "You're a good brother. Anyone else would have been opposed to this."

"Well, you know, you don't have to answer right away," Machoke added with nervousness in his expression only for Gardevoir to lean forward and plant a small kiss on his lips.

The boy's eyes were wide open as she squealed, "Yes! Of course I will!"

Machoke then wrapped his arms around the girl and planted a big kiss of his own. Now he had truly gotten the attention of everyone as they all cheered and applauded him, Aipom being the only one who seemed legitimately surprised by this.

Keiko noticed her expression and asked, "Did you seriously not see the signs?" Aipom sighing, "Well, I know Machoke was the one who shaped her into a good fighter, but I never thought they saw each-other that way."

The monkey then groaned, "Now I'm jealous!" Keiko laughing and saying, "Don't worry, you'll find someone. I'm sure of it."

And with all said and done, the future looked brighter from here. But could all of this peace last? After all, no one could possibly be more of a threat to mankind than Giratina, right?

Speaking of the dragon, no one really knew what happened to him. Once his community service was over, he took off. Many believed he wanted to find himself while others felt that he had not learned his lesson and was in search of a new planet to take over. Whatever the case, Machoke never doubted for a second that the dragon had changed for the better. He believed that Giratina had gone elsewhere to train so he could become a hero on Earth some day.