Machoke was worried now. With the area surrounding the ring now flooded, Golduck stood much more of a chance as she could now use all of the abilities she had used on Houndoom. A big grin had formed on her face as she could not have asked for a better chance.

"With the area now covered in water, what will Golduck do?" Nori asked, "At the very least, she can certainly use more abilities now."

"I'll admit, Machoke, you've been a real challenge," the duck said, "just as I'd expect from someone with your reputation. But now there's nothing you can do, because I remember a very important fact about you," all going silent as Gardevoir squeaked, "She doesn't mean that, does she!?"

It seemed the girl's fears were true when Golduck dove into the water, Beedrill immediately starting a count to twenty as unlike in her match with Houndoom, this actually counted as a ring-out. However, that count did not go too high as Golduck immediately rose from the water with a huge burst of the liquid surrounding her and forming a stream leading back into the pool behind it.

Machoke was in deep panic as Golduck spat, "AQUA JET!" Aipom thinking about how this worked and shouting, "MACHOKE, TRY TO AVOID IT!" the boy running to the right only for Golduck to redirect herself that way, slamming her head hard into his gut.

Everyone knew exactly what was coming next, the Irish fans going wild as Golduck said, "Now for something that's guaranteed to make you suffocate, and the best part of all is that there are no sea creatures to save you this time!" the duck latching her arms onto his shoulders and leaning backward, shouting, "WATERSLIDE!"

With that, Machoke was slammed head-first into the stream behind the duck, unable to get off of the running water in time to avoid sliding into the water surrounding the ring. Golduck folded her arms and laughed, exclaiming, "YES! FINALLY, I'VE DEFEATED THE SON OF MACHAMP!"

Machoke's friends were aghast as Reika groaned, "Oh no, how could this happen?" Gallade sighing, "She's right, too. Machoke's a terrible swimmer, so without someone to save him, he's pretty much screwed."

However, Golduck's confidence came to an end, her eyes going wide when she noticed Machoke was standing up in the water, everyone staring as the boy said, "You know this water's really shallow, right?" the boy quickly climbing back into the ring and adding, "The only thing that really happened was my butt hitting the floor after landing in the water."

Aipom's eyes widened as she nodded, saying, "Of course. We're not fighting in a pool this time, meaning the ring is touching the floor as opposed to floating in the middle of the water, and when outside of the ring, your head is already high enough to reach the ropes, so this flood is only enough to cover everything except for the head."

Nori blinked and said, "I'm embarrassed to admit that even I didn't realize that until just now," Blaziken taking a deep breath, saying, "Dammit, Machoke, why do you always gotta worry us like that?"

With that, Machoke raced toward Golduck as she took a deep breath, flipping backwards, diving into the water again before rising up with a big bubble surrounding her, the duck exclaiming, "It doesn't matter anyway! I can still hit you with an onslaught of water-based moves and you can't do a thing to stop me!"

The boy's eyes widened as she spat, "WATER PULSE MACH TWO!" flinging herself along with the bubble into Machoke's face as the bubble burst. Strangely enough, the effect was slightly weaker as it had hit his entire body as opposed to just his face but it still distracted him long enough for the duck to reform the water, sending it to her fists and forming two large bubbles around her hands, shouting, "WATER BOXING!"

The Irish fans cheered more wildly as Golduck sent a series of punches toward the boy. Machoke did his best to dodge them, Aipom nodding her head in approval as he held his hands up to block two incoming punches. However, the bubbles seemed to make these punches even stronger than he could have imagined as he was barely able to stand his ground after blocking them, his legs spread out as it looked like any slight increase in strength would have knocked him back.

However, the worst was that this forced his palms back far enough that a cracking sound could be heard from his wrists, the crowd wincing as Weedle groaned, "Oh god, even I didn't need to hear that," Machoke's eyes widening as he spat, "OH MY GOD, MY WRISTS!"

The boy proceeded to wave them around until he felt his bones snap into place, breathing a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, his relief ended when Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, LOOK OUT!" the boy turning his attention back to Golduck just in time to receive a hard punch to the face, blood flying from his nostrils as he flew backward, landing hard on his back while the Irish fans cheered even more.

"Golduck was having so much trouble before, but with all this water, she has gotten the upper hand in this match," Nori said, Machoke's friends looking absolutely terrified.

They knew Golduck was at her worst when using water, but she had just displayed even more power than when she had fought Houndoom. Perhaps this was a result of her extreme desire to defeat Machoke. After all, she was much more intent on beating him than anyone else in this tournament.

Machoke did not seem to be getting up any time soon as Golduck smirked, saying, "Man, that was even better than I thought, though I'm certainly not taking any chances," the duck then leaping onto the boy's gut before sending a slew of punches into his face, more blood coming from his nostrils.

Everyone simply stared in horror as Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS AND BLOCK HER PUNCHES!" Gardevoir whimpering, "Don't you think it's a bit much to ask that of him right now?" Aipom remarking, "I know, but he has a knack for doing that!"

However, Golduck stopped punching the boy after delivering a total of fifteen, the duck taking a deep breath and getting up, saying, "That might not keep you down for good, but it should keep you out long enough for a ten count," Beedrill nodding and starting that very count, all going silent.

Was this really it? Normally when Machoke was out cold, something would happen that would always give him time to recover. However, this time, nothing had stopped Beedrill from starting the ten count meaning if he could not get up before ten seconds were up, he would lose for sure.

'I did it,' Golduck thought, a big smile on her face when Beedrill reached five, 'I've finally defeated the champion's son. The world will always remember my name even if I lose the next round.'

However, just as Beedrill had counted to eight, his eyes widened, everyone staring in shock as Golduck asked, "Hey, why'd you stop counting?" her eyes then going wide as well when she slowly turned and noticed Machoke slowly pushing himself back up, the boy taking many deep breaths.

"I have to admit, Golduck, you are a force to be reckoned with when water's involved," the boy said, "It's really an amazing talent. But even so, I have no desire to lose this match."

Golduck took a deep breath, rushing at Machoke again before sending two more punches. Now that the boy knew just how powerful these bubbles were, he immediately dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into Golduck's side. Her eyes widened with shock as he proceeded to grab hold of her wrists, lifting her up over his head and slamming her back hard into the mat, but not before grabbing hold of the sides of the bubbles and using the momentum of his throw to pry them right off.

The duck grunted and spat, "Whatever! I can still use other techniques!" Gallade uttering, "Couldn't she just as easily create another pair of bubbles for her fists?" Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "If I was her, I wouldn't ditch the boxing gloves after taking in one hit while wearing them."

Golduck proceeded to dive into the water again, rising up with the liquid surrounding her once again, going in for another Aqua Jet. However, Machoke was ready this time as rather than dodging to the side, the boy leapt over it just as it closed in, Aipom impressed by how well he had timed it. After that, the boy planted his elbow into the water, the momentum giving him enough strength to snap it in half, Golduck losing control and flying head-first into the turnbuckle.

The Japanese fans went wild as Nori said, "Just as it seemed Golduck had finally found a way around Machoke's counters, he's now starting to figure out her water-based moves," the duck thinking, 'No. I may be predictable when using my normal abilities, but I'm different when using water,' her eyes then widening as she had come up with the perfect plan to end all of this, a plan so simple, it was a wonder that it took her this long to come up with it.

With that, she noticed that all the water that had followed her before was covering the mat right now, the duck smirking and saying, "Well, Machoke, you've managed to surprise me again, but it's time I end this," her gem glowing again as the boy's eyes widened, Aipom exclaiming, "MACHOKE, THE WATER!"

The boy was even more terrified when the water below him formed into a big cube around his body. His cheeks puffed up as he was once again sealed in water, only this time there was no way to escape. This cube had a bottom on it, so he could not just lift it up from the sides or anything like that.

All went silent as Aipom clasped her hands over her mouth. What could the boy possibly do? Even she had no idea how he could get out of that. The only way out would be for him to suffocate so Golduck would have a reason to release him.

However, Machoke was not going to let that get him down as he rammed his elbow into the side only for the rubbery bubble to prove far too strong. The boy's eyes widened even more as he started throwing his fists into the material, soon sending kicks into it. Unfortunately, he could not get through no matter how hard he tried.

Golduck took a deep breath, saying, "In hindsight, it does seem a tad underwhelming to defeat you in such a manner, but results are still results no matter what," Nori saying, "Machoke is in a serious bind now. Can he possibly get out of that water prison?"

Weedle took a deep breath, thinking, 'He's going to pass out soon. I knew I made the right choice picking this location. Sure, Golduck took a bit of time finding a way to really use it to her advantage, but at least she managed to pull it off.'

Gardevoir bit her lip while the others looked so helpless right now. What advice could they possibly give that would work? They knew how powerful water was when Golduck controlled it. Everyone was drawing a blank right now.

However, while the others seemed to have lost hope, Machoke was thinking of a strategy while rubbing his fingers against his chin. It was almost as if the water meant nothing to him now as he was no longer struggling to breathe. Still, he could only ignore it for so long, so he knew he would have to act fast.

"How cute, he's trying to think!" Golduck exclaimed with a smug look on her face as she added, "With my bubbles, you have no way of breaking through the material! This may seem way too easy, but it's necessary. I hope you understand."

However, Machoke's eyes opened up before he directed them up toward his skull, mainly three certain parts of him sticking out of it. Sure, they were not exactly sharp, but he had nothing else in mind. As such, the boy floated up in the water, placing his feet against the side of the bubble and stretching it back like one of the ring's ropes.

"Do you really think kicking it harder is going to make a difference?" Golduck asked, everyone gasping in shock after what happened next as the bubble snapped back, launching Machoke head-first into the opposite side of the bubble like a slingshot.

The material stretched forward, Golduck trembling and backing up a bit when suddenly, the bubble started to rip, Aipom and Gardevoir's eyes sparkling at the sheer brilliance of this strategy. After a few more seconds, Machoke busted straight through the bubble block and into Golduck's forehead, the duck's eyes widening as she flew backward, her gem changing to a darker shade of red.

The Japanese fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And with a really strong headbutt, Machoke has managed to rip right through the rubbery bubble!" Weedle groaning, "How does he always pull these things off!?" Beedrill giving his father an odd look as he cleared his throat, saying, "Yes, very impressive."

All the while, the cloaked figure who had been much more focused on Gardevoir earlier simply gazed upon this display and thought, 'I can see why she likes him so much. That boy can find a creative solution to anything,' keeping a calm composure while her mind added in a whiny tone, 'Why can't I be that cool!?'

Golduck stared in shock as Machoke took many deep breaths, gulping and barking, "Stop trapping me in water, dammit!" the duck gritting her teeth and shouting, "NO, I REFUSE TO LET YOU WIN!"

However, when she tried to use the water once more, her eyes widened when she noticed her gem had failed to work, Nori saying, "I just noticed, Golduck's gem has darkened in colour," the audience noticing this as well, the Irish fans having no idea what this meant as this was the first time it had ever happened.

However, there was only one thing that came to Golduck's mind as she spat, "YOU BROKE MY GEM!" Machoke staring before freaking out and exclaiming, "OH MY GOD, I'M SO SORRY!" Aipom sighing, "Don't apologize, Machoke! Take advantage of this!"

The boy nodded as Golduck gritted her teeth, shouting, "NO! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" the duck charging toward the boy only for Machoke to see through her strategy, holding his arms out as her shoulders ran right into his hands.

The duck's eyes widened as the boy proceeded to lean backward, kicking her in the gut and sending her flying into the air. With that, the boy ran toward the ropes, leaping onto them before propelling himself off, the crowd going wild as they knew what was coming.

Golduck once again tried to activate her gem but to no avail as the boy proceeded to roll up into a ball, ramming hard into the duck's back before retracting to his normal state with his back facing hers. He then threw his arms and legs back, locking Golduck's wrists and ankles in place before pulling hard on her back, rolling around to form a grey and blue wheel in the air.

He then headed toward the canvas, slamming the duck's body hard against it while shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!" grabbing hold of the back of her head and ramming her face hard against the mat.

All went silent as Golduck lay there, Beedrill starting up the ten count while Machoke breathed heavily. His friends bit their lower lips, hoping this was truly it as soon enough, the wasp reached ten and flew down toward his desk and tapped on the bell a couple of times with one of his stingers.

"And the winner of the second match of round two is Machoke!" he exclaimed while the crowd went wild, Aipom smiling while thinking, 'Sometimes I wonder if he even needs me to come up with ideas for him. He may be childish, but that only seems to help him come up with more creative ways to avoid failure.'

The crowd continued to cheer, save for the Irish fans who hoped Golduck was okay. However, Machoke noticed the duck starting to twitch, her teeth gritted as she slowly rose to her feet, breathing heavily. Everyone stared in absolute shock as Machoke trembled.

"I would like to remind Golduck that the match is over," Beedrill stated, "If she does anything else right now, she will be dragged out of the ring by security," Golduck seeming to ignore his words as she marched over to Machoke.

"Come on, Golduck, you're making us look bad!" one of the Irish fans exclaimed, another shouting, "We don't mind you losing! You're still awesome!" the duck looking Machoke in the eyes before smirking and slugging him on the shoulder, saying, "Nowhere near as awesome as this guy."

All went silent as Blaziken shrugged, saying, "I saw that coming a mile away," Gallade snickering and replying, "Yeah, Machoke has this tendency to make friends with most of his opponents," Gardevoir smiling bright and adding, "That's why we all like him so much."

"So there's no hard feelings?" Machoke asked as Golduck shrugged and replied, "Of course not. This was a fair fight between heroes and you won. It would be unsportsmanlike for me not to accept that," Machoke nodding with a big smile on his face as the two shook hands.

The audience cheered wildly as Nori sniffed, "I've seen this happen so many times as a result of his matches, but it still warms my heart when bitter rivalry turns into friendship!" Cici now wanting to ask how Reika had lost her feelings for the guy, though she had a theory behind why this was.

The cloaked figure got up and headed toward the exit, thinking, 'Gardevoir's match is next. I'd better get there ahead of time,' Beedrill saying, "Well, with that rather intense match out of the way, it's time to reveal the location of the next match," the figure stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes widening under her hood as she thought, 'Oh right, I need to hear the next location first. I totally knew that was coming.'

During this time, a big vacuum had been brought in to clear out the water so people could leave when the announcement was over, Beedrill explaining, "For the match between Gardevoir and Garchomp, we'll be moving to this area," pointing at a location where a construction site was located on the map, Machoke sighing, "These choices just keep getting weirder."

"Remember, be there in less than two hours if you wish to catch the start of the match," the wasp added, the water now cleared up as everyone exited the area save for the rats who all noticed the cloaked figure, a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'Alright, Gardevoir, show me if you truly have what it takes to defeat someone like Garchomp.'

She then noticed the rats standing behind her with curious looks in their eyes, the figure trying her hardest not to scream before fleeing from the area, stepping on the front of her cloak and falling flat on her face. Luckily, it seemed that had not drawn attention to her as she continued running before finally exiting the area, the rats pursuing her all the while.

Machoke turned his attention back to Golduck and asked, "Hey, will your gem be okay? I hope I didn't break it," the duck letting out a sigh and replying, "Honestly, I have no idea. It's never been shut down before," tapping on it as it suddenly became its usual light shade of red, both fighters smiling in response to this.

Just as Machoke was about to board the car taking him and the others to their next location, Golduck came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy turned and said, "Oh, hey Golduck," the duck giving him thumbs up and saying, "Give Ninetales a run for her money next round," Machoke nodding as the duck added, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think I've become a fangirl of yours."

Machoke's eyes widened as he asked, "Really?" a big childish smile forming on his face as Golduck added, "Yeah! I mean, oh my god, that was just so cool how you broke out of my water prison like that! I never would have come up with anything like that!"

With all said and done, there was no doubt a new friendship had formed between the two. But right now, Machoke needed to focus on supporting Gardevoir. After all, Garchomp was really tough and she would need some serious strategy to beat her.