When the battle starts, focus on eliminating his clones as fast as possible; this is made easier by using the "Wild Dance" reaction command, which takes out a large quantity of them. After you take them out, you have a free moment to take in a couple of combos. Of course, then he retaliates. You should make sure to be defensive, but at the same time try to stay close to him, because he'll shout "Dance, water, dance!", and you'll be left hanging dry (no pun intended) if you're too far away from him. This always seemed to be my downfall before I beat him; I was too far away, and I wasn't able to get back to him in time to eliminate all of his clones.
Use your Cure magic conservatively, and don't be afraid to use up a few Potions or Elixirs either. Continue attacking him while constantly being on the lookout for another water clone attack (as it would suck to get so close to defeating him, when all of a sudden, it's Game Over D: [flashback]), and very soon, you'll defeat him.
Use your Cure magic conservatively, and don't be afraid to use up a few Potions or Elixirs either. Continue attacking him while constantly being on the lookout for another water clone attack (as it would suck to get so close to defeating him, when all of a sudden, it's Game Over D: [flashback]), and very soon, you'll defeat him.