The bell was rung and thus Golduck and Machoke's match had started, Golduck wasting no time racing toward Machoke. The boy simply stepped to the side when she got close, sending a roundhouse into her side as the Japanese fans went wild.

Golduck simply took this chance to latch her closest arm around the boy's leg, Machoke simply throwing it to the side and sending the duck flying into the turnbuckle. Aipom's eyes were wide with shock, the monkey amazed that he had already managed to come up with something so effective.

Golduck simply ignored the pain as Machoke smirked, saying, "I knew it. Without water to manipulate, you're nowhere near as good," Golduck gritting her teeth and retorting, "Don't count me out just yet! I have other abilities!" Machoke panicking now as Aipom sighed, "That's what I was telling you earlier."

With that, the duck sprinted toward Machoke, the boy simply holding up a defensive stance only for Golduck to leap over his head. The boy had no time to react as she sent her foot hard into his skull. Afterwards, she landed behind him and latched onto his shoulders, propelling herself upward and planting her feet hard into his back.

After that, the duck proceeded to latch her ankles around the boy's neck, leaning backward and latching onto his own ankles before using all her might to flip them both over, slamming his head into the mat while shouting, "ICE ROCK DRIVER!"

The Irish fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "Things were looking really good for Machoke, but Golduck has now landed her powerful Ice Rock Driver! Let's see if even Machoke can recover from that!" all the while thinking he most certainly would, but she had to remember it was her job to be neutral.

And sure enough, the boy did recover while holding onto his head, Golduck smirking and saying, "Glad you decided to get up after all because I've only shown you a fraction of my power."

Reika let out a sigh and groaned, "Dammit, he got over-confident," Blaziken shrugging and replying, "I wouldn't count him out just yet. He may have taken in a powerful move early in the match, but that was far from the worst he's ever dealt with."

And it seemed so as Machoke rose to his feet, sighing, "Not bad, but not great either," Golduck gritting her teeth and remarking, "You're bluffing."

Machoke grinned and replied, "When you take in as many head blows as I have over the past, your standards can get pretty high," everyone staring in silence, Reika uttering, "That is not something to be proud of."

Golduck simply fumed and spat, "Fine, I'll just take you down with another technique!" only for Machoke to once again avoid the duck, sending a karate chop into the side of her head, the crowd going wild while Nori said, "Machoke is on fire today. Despite Golduck using a couple of fierce moves on him, he still seems to have the upper hand due to her moves being limited to non-water-based ones."

Golduck took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, I admit that you have some serious skill, but I'm not going down so easily," the boy simply staring, wondering if she was just being arrogant or if she really had something planned, the duck adding, "It's true that without my water powers, I'm not quite as good, but while I'm certain I could beat you without them, you've forgotten a very simple fact."

Everyone stared as Blaziken asked, "What fact is that?" Aipom looking up at the leaking pipes, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, "There's water in this building!"

The others were confused, but Golduck knew exactly what she meant as she snickered, saying, "Your trainer is as smart as I'd heard," Machoke turning to the monkey and remarking, "What are you two talking about!?" Aipom pointing at the pipes, Machoke then noticing the water dripping from them.

Weedle seemed to know this as well as he thought, 'I was hoping this location would give her an unexpected edge, and it has. Finally that embarrassment will learn the humility of defeat,' Golduck's gem glowing as suddenly, one of the pipes came open, water coming out.

However, rather than spraying all over the place, it formed into what looked like a rope as it headed toward the ring, redirecting itself in Machoke's direction. The boy's eyes and mouth went wide as he tried to dodge it.

"MACHOKE, DON'T LET IT GET YOU!" Aipom spat as the boy continued to run only for the water to turn toward where he was headed, quickly wrapping itself around him as Golduck spat, "AQUA ROPE!"

The Irish fans looked rather happy as Gallade groaned, "You mean water can actually make for an effective rope?" Blaziken shrugging and replying, "Apparently," as the group noticed Machoke trying desperately to free himself but to no avail.

"What is this?" Machoke asked, "I thought just about everything could pass through water!" Golduck remarking, "True, but when I control water, it's not exactly normal. I can make it as thin or thick as I want," the duck then grabbing hold of the end of the water rope and swinging her arm sideways, pulling Machoke along with it and sending him head-first into the turnbuckle.

"And it seems Machoke has fallen victim to a similar move to what Talonflame used on Blaziken when still under the guise of Golurk," Nori stated, "only this time, it's perfectly legal," Golduck swinging Machoke even more, sending his head repeatedly into the turnbuckle.

The boy was now in great pain as the duck laughed, shouting, "JUST TRY AND GET OUT OF THIS!" Machoke gritting his teeth and remarking, "Unfortunately for you, I do know a way out!"

Everyone stared in amazement as the boy spun his body toward Golduck, causing the rope to wrap around him more as he inched closer and closer. However, the duck knew exactly what he was planning as she used her gem to return the water to its original thickness, said water falling to the ground while Machoke landed on his back.

"I see," Blaziken said with an impressed look, "He tried using the same counter I did when Talonflame tried that crap on me," Hitmonchan asking, "So you came up with that? Wow, that's awesome."

Sure, the move had failed, but Machoke was now free as he got up, shouting, "Alright, I'm not giving you another chance like that!" the boy then charging toward Golduck only for her to use her gem to bring the water back up, this time having it whip him in the back as she spat, "AQUA WHIP!"

Machoke cried out in pain as the water flew over to Golduck, the duck once again taking hold of it and smirking, saying, "The rope may not have worked, but I dare you to try and get around this."

With that, Golduck proceeded to smack Machoke with her whip a couple of times only for the boy to smirk, grabbing hold of it and asking, "Are you kidding? This is even easier to dodge than that last move!" Golduck frowning and returning the water's thickness to normal, Machoke feeling a tad disappointed that he could not use the whip to his advantage.

However, he now had to be careful. One could only guess what Golduck was going to create next. The others were aware of this too as Aipom gulped nervously, waiting for the duck to try something else.

After a few seconds, the duck laughed nervously and uttered, "Oh no, I'm not really sure what else to do with such a small amount of water," the area going silent as the Irish fans looked beyond disappointed, Blaziken smirking and exclaiming, "YOU'RE BACK ON EASY STREET, MACHOKE!" the boy nodding before rushing toward Golduck and sending a hard punch into her face.

The duck groaned in pain as he wrapped his arms around her, leaning backward and planting her head hard into the mat before releasing his hold, the Japanese fans going wild as Nori exclaimed, "Even with Golduck's water powers, Machoke has still managed to get the upper hand!"

"I'm not gonna lie," the boy said, "when I saw that you could use your water powers, I was worried, but it seems you need a lot of water in order to be a true threat, and that simply wasn't enough."

However, Golduck fumed and retorted, "SO WHAT!? I STILL HAVE OTHER MOVES!" the duck rushing toward him before sending a series of palm punches while asking, "How do I think I made it into the Olympics in the first place? There was no water whatsoever in the arena I competed at!"

Machoke narrowly dodged each punch while saying, "I'll admit, you got power and speed, but after witnessing your regular moves first-hand earlier, you're not too difficult to figure out," Golduck's eyes widening as she backed up, uttering, "Are you saying I'm predictable?"

The boy blinked, not even sure how to respond to this as the duck gritted her teeth, trying her best to keep a level head, not that she was necessarily good at that to begin with. For some reason, these words really got to her, more so than it would have for most people.

"That look is not a good sign," Reika said as Golduck spat, "I AM NOT PREDICTABLE!" the duck leaping at Machoke with her feet stretched out.

Machoke easily saw this coming and quickly threw his arms out, grabbing onto her ankles and swinging her into the turnbuckle with a sigh of relief, saying, "That was really obvious."

'No, it wasn't,' Golduck thought, gritting her teeth, 'He just got lucky! That's it!' the duck then smirking and racing toward Machoke, leaping above his head again. But just as she was about to latch her ankles around his neck again, the boy simply grabbed hold of them and leaned back, once again planting the duck's head into the canvas.

The Japanese fans went wild as Gallade exclaimed, "THAT WAS SO COOL!" Hitmonchan blinking and saying, "I never would have come up with a counter like that," the crowd cheering as Golduck thought, 'Neither would I. He's so unpredictable.'

However, while Machoke was not so sure he had hinted at this, he was right. Golduck herself knew how predictable her fighting style was when she was not using water and it had always been a burden for her.

Back when she was training to be a hero like her father, she had learned all of his techniques, figuring she was ready for the world. And needless to say, she performed very well in her final exam and even defeated her first opponent rather quickly. However, she had major problems after that.

After her first win, villains were able to read her like a book as she constantly relied on the same techniques, never able to come up with those of her own. However, she did have one ability her father did not have, and that was the power to manipulate water, and she used this ability when facing a villain on a beach, earning her second win on Earth.

From that moment on, she would always fight villains when water was nearby and if there was no way to get to such an area, she would have her allies do the fighting for her. She would always be able to motivate them by simply telling them they deserved a turn.

When she applied for the Olympics, she knew she was at a high risk of losing. Sure, she breezed through the first round easily, but in the second round, her opponent very quickly caught onto her pattern.

That was when she needed to come up with more creative ways to bring water to her, and as such, the duck would use anything nearby to help her out. If an audience member had a water bottle, she would immediately use that person's water as a weapon. Sure, she had only enough water to use her Aqua Whip and Rope techniques, but she managed to use this stunt to get her a spot in the Hero Olympics, feeling fortunate to have been so lucky.

But now, both those moves had been beaten and Golduck did not have enough water around the area to create anything else. There were no water bottles among the crowd or anything. However, she could not give up. If she was unable to come up with new regular moves, then she could simply make up new water techniques with that little puddle in the middle of the ring.

With that in mind, the duck took a deep breath, her gem glowing again as the water rose up behind Machoke, Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE, BEHIND YOU!" the boy turning and getting ready only for Golduck to smirk and send the water into the boy's face, forming a bubble around his head with water covering the inside.

All went silent as the boy's cheeks inflated, Machoke now starting to suffocate as Golduck smirked, thinking, "Wow, I didn't think it would actually have that kind of effect. After all, a real bubble wouldn't be filled with water, but then again, that's not a normal bubble.'

Machoke rammed his fists into it only for this to prove ineffective against the bubble, the boy simply causing his face pain in the process, the boy stopping as his friends stared in absolute horror. Sure, they knew Golduck could not kill Machoke without being disqualified, but this was still a dirty tactic to use on a fellow hero.

Machoke had now fallen to his knees, trying desperately to hold his breath as Reika asked, "Is there anything he can do?" Gallade groaning, "I don't know. Golduck's made that bubble strong as rubber. The only way out is if she decides to release him," Gardevoir also really worried right now.

However, while the others were starting to lose hope, Aipom was stroking her chin with her tail hand, looking closely at the bubble itself. Then she noticed that around Machoke's neck was a hole in the bubble as the bottom was pressing up against it as opposed to going through it.

Aipom then got a brilliant idea and spat, "MACHOKE, TRY PULLING ON THE BOTTOM!" everyone staring in confusion as Blaziken asked, "What's she suggesting now?" Gardevoir smiling and saying, "Actually, that's not a bad strategy."

Machoke thought this sounded like a weird tactic, not to mention one that would not work, but he was desperate to try anything to avoid passing out, which he knew he would before Golduck would even consider releasing him. As such, the boy placed a firm grip against the bottom of the bubble pressing up against the front of his neck.

Golduck laughed and exclaimed, "Oh man, even the genius teacher is desperate for ideas! This is just rich!" a look of shock taking over when she noticed this actually working as Machoke managed to get his fingers under the bubble, stretching it out and causing the water inside to come out, a fish also emerging out of nowhere as it flopped around on the canvas.

Machoke then proceeded to lift the now-deflated bubble off of his head and toss it straight into Golduck's face, shouting, "THAT WAS TERRIFYING!" the duck now looking scared herself.

That bubble was the only new technique she could come up with and once again, Machoke had found a way around it. Sure, he had taken advice this time, but he still put it to good use.

However, there was no way she was going to lose after coming so close as she tried desperately to come up with an idea, the duck desperately trying the whip again only for Machoke to grab it while saying, "Come on, you already know that's not going to work on me anymore," the duck trembling as she once again returned the water to normal, Machoke rushing behind her and wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up and leaning back, planting her head hard into the mat while the Japanese fans cheered.

Weedle all the while was beyond disappointed. He had really hoped that even without a huge body of water to exploit, Golduck would still be able to come up with a slew of water-based techniques. However, it seemed she lacked the creativity when it came to a small amount.

Machoke took a deep breath and smirked, saying, "I'm sorry, Golduck, but you're out of tricks," the duck growling before thinking carefully about how much water there was. She had enough to form a bubble big enough to cover Machoke's head and still have water flowing inside of it.

Then something came to her, her eyes going wide. What if she could turn that bubble into more than just a suffocation tool, something that hurt him physically as opposed to internally?

With that in mind, Golduck once again rose up the water, Aipom exclaiming, "She's using the water again!" Machoke nodding and readying himself only to notice the water headed straight for Golduck, the duck then directing it around her body after forming a sphere with it and shouting, "WATER PULSE!" sending the ball hard into the boy's face.

Machoke's eyes widened as the move had actually been powerful enough to knock him on his back, the boy coughing up a bit of blood before laying there, his eyes and mouth wide open. The Irish fans went wild while everyone else stared in shock. A little water ball had pulled that off?

Machoke's friends stared in horror at the sight of this. Had he actually been beaten by such a simple move?

Golduck all the while took a few breaths before thinking, 'Wow, that was even more effective than I thought it would be,' a look of panic on her face when Machoke started to rise back to his feet, Aipom breathing a sigh of relief. However, that relief did not last long when everyone noticed Machoke's eyes swirling as he was now struggling to stay upright.

"Well, Machoke recovered rather quickly from that surprisingly powerful technique," Nori stated, "but now he doesn't even look fully conscious," Reika blinking and asking, "What's wrong with him?" Blaziken sighing, "It seems to be a similar effect to Lopunny's Dizzy Punch."

Golduck simply smirked while thinking, 'Oh, I am a genius and I didn't even know it! This couldn't have possibly turned out better! Sure, he's not down, but he can't focus! That gives me an ample opportunity to end his winning streak once and for all!'

With that, the duck wasted no time charging toward Machoke before latching onto his shoulders and propelling him high above the mat, all going silent as Aipom squeaked, "COME ON, MACHOKE! YOU WERE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM DIZZINESS EASILY WHEN LOPUNNY HIT YOU!"

However, despite Machoke's amazing immunity to getting dizzy, it seemed this water ball from earlier was more powerful than Dizzy Punch could hope to be. However, perhaps it was not that much more powerful as Machoke had regained focus, his eyes widening when he soon found himself flipped so his belly was facing the ring, Golduck placing her knees against his back and grabbing hold of his ankles and chin.

"You have quite the resistance to recover from that so quickly," the duck stated, "but it's not enough to save you," before heading toward the canvas and shouting, "DUCK DRIVER!" Machoke's friends staring in horror as his belly hit the mat hard, his eyes widening as he coughed up more blood.

The Irish fans went wild as Golduck released her hold on Machoke, taking a deep breath and saying, "You were an irritating opponent, but this victory belongs to me," a smirk forming as Beedrill started up the countdown, the others staring in silence.

"It can't be over yet, can it?" Gardevoir squeaked, Blaziken shaking her head and replying, "It can't be. Machoke's taken far worse than this over the past," and it seemed so as when Beedrill counted to six, Machoke had risen back to his feet, taking many deep breaths with his eyes wide open with terror, the boy exclaiming, "Oh my god, I thought I'd lost for sure!"

Golduck's eyes and beak were wide open, the duck uttering, "Why can't you stay down?" Machoke taking a deep breath and remarking, "You don't know much about my family, do you?" Aipom smiling wide and nodding her head, saying, "Yeah, the Mach family has the amazing ability to stand up to just about everything. It takes a lot to take one of them down."

What could the duck possibly do now? That Water Pulse was the last thing she could think of. Now Machoke could read her like a book, and Machoke's friends were more than confident he could win this match now.

However, it was then that Golduck remembered something very important. She may have only been able to extract a little water from that one pipe earlier, but what about the others? The only reason she had not tried to get water from those is because when water was sealed up, she often found herself unable to control it, and the other pipes were not leaking so this was indeed an issue. Even back when she used water bottles as a source of water for her, they were always open when she used them.

However, right now the duck was desperate as her gem glowed, Machoke getting ready to counter her water again only this time, the water on the floor of the mat did not seem to be her target. In fact, she was applying more power than even she believed she could muster as her eyes glowed red as well, the pipes now vibrating wildly while everyone noticed this.

The rats looked up and quickly scurried up the side of the bleacher wall, sitting atop that instead while some audience members sitting behind them freaked out. But it seemed the rats had good timing as the latches to the pipes came open, water shooting out from them and raining upon the area surrounding the ring, Weedle and Beedrill panicking as Beedrill grabbed hold of his father, using his wings to carry him to higher ground, and this was perfectly necessary as the entire floor was soon flooded, the water no longer pouring out.

Machoke stared at this as Golduck took a deep breath, a smirk on her face as she said, "Oh, this is too perfect."