Despite Machoke having the upper hand, Lucario looked far from finished. It was as if all the pain dealt earlier meant nothing to him as he seemed unfazed and ready for more. However, while Machoke looked terrified, Meisai was calm right now.

"Don't look so surprised," the girl said, "You said it yourself. It was obvious he wasn't done yet," the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, he still scares me though," Meisai thinking, 'Yeah, he scares me too.'

However, while Lucario may have been up with his confidence having not lowered in the slightest, he was still worried about the Mach Cover technique. Clearly it was more effective than it actually looked and there was no doubt Machoke would likely use it again.

The dog's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something that could be done, racing toward Machoke as Meisai nodded, saying, "You know what to do," Machoke replying, "Right," before wrapping his arms around himself, his muscles once again expanding all around. Just like before, he was going to wait for Lucario to exhaust himself before attacking.

However, just as everyone was expecting the dog to attack Machoke directly, he instead ran behind him. Everyone stared in confusion as Lucario proceeded to wrap his arms around the boy's neck, holding tight as everyone stared in silence.

"Well, after direct attacks failed, it seems Lucario is going for internal damage with a sleeper hold," Nori stated as Meisai thought, 'Good luck, but the Mach Cover also prevents him from taking damage from submission holds,' Machoke confirming this as he blinked and asked, "I'm sorry, is this actually supposed to hurt me right now?"

Lucario's eyes went wide as Meisai exclaimed, "NOW, WHILE HIS GUARD IS DROPPED!" Machoke smirking and breaking formation, latching his arms around Lucario's. With that, he leaned forward, hurling the dog over his head and onto his back, the crowd going wild as the boy proceeded to wrap his arms around himself again.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought, 'What am I going to do? Submission holds don't work, punches and kicks don't work,' his eyes then going wide as he thought, 'But wait, there is something even the strongest of skin can't stand up to. It's perfect!'

Meisai did not like the look in Lucario's eyes as she said, "Careful, Machoke. He might have something else planned," the boy then asking, "Just in case he does come up with something, does the Mach Cover have a weakness?"

The girl tapped her chin and replied, "If it does have one, it hasn't yet been discovered," Machoke groaning, "So there's a possibility there might be one?" Meisai biting her lip under her mask, now worried that might just be the case.

Lucario seemed to feel he had found one as he raced toward Machoke, readying his arms. The boy smirked and thought, 'Sweet! He's going back to what he was doing before!' his eyes widening when the dog proceeded to turn his hand around, pointing his wrist spikes forward. The crowd gasped as Lucario proceeded to jab them into Machoke's arms, the spikes piercing his flesh.

Machoke cried out in pain, Meisai's eyes widening with shock. How had she not taken that into consideration? And it did not end there as Lucario proceeded to lift the boy up, leaning backward and planting his back hard against the mat, this seeming to deal pain as well despite him not yet having broken formation.

Machoke quickly rolled away when the spikes were removed, terror in his eyes when he got back up, his arms now bleeding as Reika winced, uttering, "That looked horrible!" Nori stating, "Well, it seems Lucario has found a weakness to Machoke's defensive technique."

"Oh no," Reika uttered, Gardevoir whimpering and squeaking, "It failed! And he was doing so well!" Blaziken replying, "I'd be equally worried about Meisai, if I were you. She looks just as shocked as we do."

Machoke was trembling now as Lucario stated, "I'll admit, that defensive technique of yours is impressive, but it's not without its flaws. While it is an ideal defence against full-frontal attacks and submission holds, all it involves you doing is expanding your muscle size. That's very easy to exploit. For instance, the heaviest of bodies can still take in pain from making fast contact with the floor. Also, the mightiest of flesh can easily be pierced by a sharp blade."

Meisai trembled and thought, 'It's true. That's all common knowledge. How could I overlook something like that?' Machamp all the while thinking, 'Geez, if it was that simple, why did it take so long for someone to come up with that?'

Now Machoke's confidence had left him for good as he had no other ideas. The Mach Cover was a great tactic and with it having been defeated, how could he possibly counter Lucario's attacks? He could try dodging, but at this point, even Meisai felt it might be too late to trick him with such a tactic.

The girl was now rubbing her chin as Aipom watched with distress from the hospital, groaning, "Oh no! She has no idea what to do!" Bisharp replying, "Yes, you must have a solution to that, do you?" the monkey sighing, "It pains me to admit it, but even I'm not sure how to make up for that," Bisharp and Scrafty face-palming.

However, after a few seconds, Meisai took a deep breath and said, "Machoke, don't be discouraged. Even though the Mach Cover failed, you can still win this. Just remember what Lucario's biggest fault is," the boy nodding in understanding.

Yes, while Lucario had amazing skills, there was one major flaw in his fighting style and that was his tendency to stick mainly with two types of moves, submission and direct attacks. Slam moves were rarely ever seen from him, so the slams he had used with his spikes were not likely to be used repeatedly. There was also the fact that Lucario refused to rely on his father's finishing moves meaning he only had two finishers to use against Machoke and the boy knew how both of them worked.

"Okay, I'm back in the zone now," the boy said with a grin, "So what would you suggest I do first?" Meisai replying, "Wait for him to attack, look for an opening and strike. I'll speak up if I feel you're about to do something wrong."

The boy nodded as Lucario raced toward him, shouting, "Let's see how you defeat me without your precious defence!" the dog sending his palm toward the boy only for Machoke to block the incoming punch with one arm, sending a hard kick into the dog's shin.

"MACHOKE, HE'S GOT YOUR ARM!" Meisai spat as the boy's eyes widened, Lucario allowing himself to fall backwards while grasping the boy's arm with both hands. The British fans were going wild as Machoke was lifted over the dog, his back slammed hard against the canvas.

'What's going on?' Meisai thought with a look of shock, 'He shouldn't have done that. That's not how he usually fights,' Riolu raising an eyebrow at this as Machamp said, "Wow, that's something you would have done."

The others winced at the sight of this as Tsuya groaned, "Oh man, Lucario saw that coming a mile away," Gallade sighing, "Machoke's dealt with worse before. I'm sure he can handle this."

Sure, the boy did recover rather quickly, but now he was at a loss of ideas. And to make matters worse, Meisai was not completely sure what he could do either. Was Lucario really starting to rely on more than his usual fighting techniques?

On the other hand, this made sense. After all, Lucario had not been himself during his matches and last week after he defeated Garchomp, he seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown. Perhaps Meisai would have a more difficult time coming up with a strategy than she first thought.

With that in mind, the girl took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, he's clearly fighting differently than I figured he would," the boy sighing, "You think?" Meisai adding, "Still, you've done a good job so far. I know you can beat him. I'll be sure to give you pointers as you go along, alright?" Machoke nodding and replying, "I hope you're right."

Lucario advanced toward Machoke again as the boy examined his movements. He had to find an opening. If he could at least manage that, there was still a chance he could win. The odds were stacked against him now, but he had come all this way and was not turning back.

Before he could think further, the dog proceeded to aim another palm punch toward him. Machoke immediately dodged to the right, avoiding the move. However, Lucario had seen this coming as he sent a karate chop sideways into the boy's neck, Machoke backing up and holding onto that very spot, breathing heavily.

"Machoke just can't get that advantage back," Nori stated, "Without that defensive tactic of his, he can't seem to do a thing, especially with Lucario using a few moves we haven't seen from him before," Meisai getting really nervous now.

Feeling rather frustrated by all of this, Reika got up from her seat and snapped, "Come on, Machoke! You've dealt with so much worse over the past!" the boy turning to face her as Blaziken added, "Yeah! Where's the hero who took an axe blade to the chest and continued to fight as if it meant nothing!?" Machoke's eyes widening at the sound of this.

"Yeah, and where's the guy who got pummelled by rocks and still managed to get up!?" Gallade asked, Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "I know you can do it, Machoke! You made me into a real hero! You can do anything!"

The boy nodded, a serious look forming in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. With that, he turned to Meisai and said, "Don't worry, Meisai, I think I'll be able to handle myself for the time being. When you see a perfect opportunity for me to follow a different strategy, just let me know, alright?" the girl smiling under her mask.

Machoke was quite a bit of work but his heart was always in the right place when it really counted. Meisai was really starting to warm up to him now.

Even Clauncher felt the sudden urge to rise from her seat and shout, "YEAH, GIVE HIM HELL, MACHOKE!" Lucario shooting the lobster a glare. Even after Amanda had left, Clauncher seemed to still be on his side, and yet now even she had turned against him.

'I guess I don't have any friends left in this world,' the dog thought, 'Oh well, it's a small price to pay for vengeance on the Mach family,' the dog once again racing toward Machoke only for the boy to see something he could take advantage of.

Machoke smirked and rather than dodging to the side or trying to counter the incoming strike, he ducked under it. Lucario's eyes widened as the boy sent six consecutive punches into his midsection before rising up and delivering a fierce uppercut to his chin. The Japanese fans went wild as Lucario backed up, a look of shock on his face.

"Keep it up!" Meisai exclaimed, "He's distracted now!" Machoke nodding and racing toward Lucario, holding out his arm as it rammed into the dog's neck. After that he wrapped the arm around said spot but remained behind Lucario.

"You seem to really like submission holds," Machoke said with a smirk before reaching his right foot back latching it onto Lucario's ankle and pulling hard, using his arm to push up on his chin while asking, "What do you think of this one?"

The audience was even more amazed as Aipom's eyes sparkled, the monkey squealing, "Oh my god! That's Machamp's Ultimate Backbreaker! I didn't even think he knew that move!" Scrafty smirking and saying, "Yeah, ya got yourself an amazing pupil, Aipom."

Of course, Machoke's friends were happy to see him finally get the upper hand back, Meisai nodding her head in approval. She would have never been able to come up with such an incredible strategy. While she may have been knowledgeable about fighting and dodging Lucario's favourite techniques, even she did not have the creative mind that Machoke possessed.

However, Lucario's shock soon turned to an unamused look as he said, "Not bad. You actually managed to catch me off-guard even without your precious defence. But even so, this move is even more flawed than that stupid arm thing," Machoke remarking, "What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Please, it's obvious, isn't it?" the dog remarked, "You're only using one arm and one foot to pull off this move. What's more is that you've only trapped my head and ankle in place. I can easily get out of this," Machoke retorting, "Then why does my dad call it the Ultimate Backbreaker!?" Lucario saying, "I don't know. You should ask him sometime, because to me, that name is incredibly pretentious."

With that, the dog proceeded to lean his arm back, grabbing hold of Machoke's calf and twisting it. The pain was enough for the boy to loosen his hold on the ankle as Lucario flipped his entire body over, placing his arm against Machoke's shoulder and pressing down on it, knocking him hard on his back.

'Dammit, why didn't I see those flaws?' Meisai thought, Riolu all the while turning to Machamp and asking, "Say, why did you decide to call it the Ultimate Backbreaker? Surely you saw the faults with it," Machamp sighing, "Because it was the first submission hold I ever made. I was so excited, I decided to give it the most awesome name I could think of."

As if this was not bad enough, Lucario proceeded to flip Machoke over onto his belly before climbing onto his back. With that, the dog grabbed hold of his wrists and held them back, everyone knowing exactly what was coming as he proceeded to lock Machoke's legs in place. And with all his might, the dog proceeded to lift Machoke over him while rolling onto his back.

"Oh no!" Reika spat, Gallade gulping and uttering, "He's already using it," many others now scared as Lucario spat, "LONDON BRIDGE!" applying pressure to Machoke's back while bringing it closer to his chest spike.

"It's been interesting, but I think it's time I end this!" Lucario exclaimed, completely forgetting about the possibility that Machoke would have learned a way out of this, and it seemed he had when Meisai snapped, "MACHOKE, HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHAT WE PRACTISED!?"

The boy's eyes widened as he grunted, "That's right!" before twisting his ankles and propping them out of Lucario's grip. The dog's eyes and mouth hung open as the boy proceeded to propel his legs over his gut before sending his feet hard into that very spot.

Lucario's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he coughed up blood, Machoke leaping away from him and taking a deep breath, grinning at Meisai and giving her thumbs up, the girl returning the gesture. The crowd went wild as Machoke was on fire now. The crowd could only hope this would keep up.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought as he slowly rose back to his feet, 'Why didn't I see that coming? I even thought he might have come up with a counter for that move by now,' the dog then taking a deep breath as his mind added, 'It's okay, though. I have a few moves that I know he and that Meisai girl won't see coming a mile away.'

Before he could think of more, Machoke was on the offensive now as he sprinted toward the dog. Meisai was not completely sure this was a good idea, but with how the boy had been doing, she decided to put at least some faith in him. Unfortunately, Lucario saw an opportunity here as he held up a defensive stance.

When Machoke got close, the dog sent both of his palms forward only for Machoke to once again duck under him, sending another uppercut to his chin as the Japanese fans cheered, Gallade uttering, "I can't believe that worked twice," the others nodding in agreement. To make things even better, Machoke proceeded to get behind the now-distracted Lucario and reach his arms around him, hurling him high into the air and leaping up at him.

The crowd was cheering even louder now as they knew what was coming, Meisai smiling under her mask and feeling that this might just work. After all, unlike during his match with Talonflame, Machoke had made Lucario weak before trying this, so there was a chance the dog would not be able to counter it. And his odds only got higher as he proceeded to grab hold of Lucario's ankles while wrapping his legs around his arms.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "That position, that form! He's doing it folks, the more effective variation of his family's signature move-" Machoke cutting in and shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" descending toward the mat as Meisai nodded in approval.

However, Lucario had a look of confidence on his face when suddenly, the blue aura appeared once more and surrounded him. Clauncher saw this as her eyes widened, the lobster uttering, "Oh no. Not the aura. Not now."

"Did you forget who it was who taught Talonflame how to counter this move!?" Lucario asked before bending his forearms just enough to latch his hands onto Machoke's legs. He then proceeded to apply a great deal of muscle while pushing backward, applying just enough force to flip both fighters one-hundred-and-eighty degrees thus putting his opponent on the receiving end.

Machoke had a look of shock in his eyes as his head was soon slammed hard into the canvas, the British fans going wild while everyone else stared with concern. But most of all, Lucario had a point. If simply applying more muscle could counter the original version of the move, what was stopping it from working against this updated version?

Lucario released his hold and backed up, folding his arms and saying, "I'm amazed you'd even try that against me. I didn't think you were that stupid," Meisai trembling and thinking, 'How did I not see that coming?' Machoke twitching and slowly rising to his feet but looking rather beat up after taking in such a move.

"Alright, I admit it, that was a bad move on my part," the boy uttered, "but this means nothing! I can still beat you!"

With that, Machoke ran at Lucario again, the dog sending a karate chop his way only for the boy to grab his arm. Unlike before, he did not give the dog time to counter as he latched his other arm around the shoulder, running Lucario back-first into the turnbuckle. The Japanese fans were cheering again as the boy leapt high above the ring, flipping Lucario over and wrapping his arms and legs around his torso, pointing his head toward the canvas.

The crowd was even more excited now as Nori exclaimed, "Well, after that setback, Machoke is back in the game with his Ultimate Driver! Surely Lucario can't find a way around this!" Meisai gulping and thinking, 'He probably has already,' Gardevoir squeaking, "I hope it works this time!"

However, while Machoke descended toward the mat, Lucario simply grabbed onto his ankles and sighed, "Don't make me laugh. This move is even easier to counter than your precious Muscle Tombstone!" everyone staring in shock as the dog also latched his ankles onto Machoke's neck, once again applying enough pressure to flip him over.

However, to add insult to injury, Lucario released his hold on Machoke before flipping the boy around so he was now facing his back before wrapping his arms around him. Meisai's eyes widened, many members of the audience wincing as well as Lucario had just pierced the boy's back with his chest spike. Up until his match with Garchomp, he had only used that for his London Bridge, never feeling the need to use it as a weapon at any given time. However, as was clear, Lucario was not completely himself right now.

However, when he wrapped his arms around Machoke's waist and his legs around his neck, the audience was even more surprised as he spat, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" sending Machoke's head hard into the mat, the boy's eyes going wide as he coughed up blood, Lucario releasing his hold along with the spike and allowing the boy to collapse.

"I can't believe what I've just seen!" Nori exclaimed, Meisai also staring in absolute shock as the woman continued, "Not only did Lucario counter Machoke's Ultimate Driver but he also used his father's very first signature move and one of his favourites!"

Riolu's eyes were also wide as Machamp said, "Wow, with that spike, his is more effective than yours," the older dog watching in stunned silence.

Meisai, all the while, was trembling as she thought, 'No, this wasn't supposed to happen. Lucario would never rely on his moves. This makes no sense. What can I say?'

"As you can see, I am a different fighter today," Lucario said, folding his arms with a smug grin on his face, "Admittedly, you've done very well to even get this far, Machoke, but not even you can possibly hope to defeat me."

And with that, things were looking really bad as Machoke was barely able to move right now. What else did Lucario have in store?