"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"
Pidgeotto's speed was astonishing. In a flash, it slammed straight into Staryu.
"Use Rapid Spin and attack Pidgeotto!"
Misty immediately launched a counterattack. Staryu spun like a top and rushed toward Pidgeotto.
But Pidgeotto was extremely agile and easily avoided the attack.
Rapid Spin—three consecutive misses.
Misty frowned.
Staryu kept getting chipped away, while Pidgeotto used its aerial advantage to constantly evade attacks.
Truly the legendary move: Dodge!
If this continued and Ash kept kiting her Pokémon like this, the outcome would basically be decided.
"Staryu, dive into the water and use Water Gun!"
Taking advantage of the Water-type battlefield, Staryu dove underwater and fired a Water Gun upward.
That's exactly what I was waiting for.
"Twister!"
A spiraling vortex erupted in the water, lifting Staryu into the air.
After taking so many hits already, Staryu couldn't withstand this attack and lost its ability to battle.
"Does Misty have any way to win?"
"I don't think so."
Watching Misty being completely suppressed, the three sisters felt the difference in skill between the two Trainers.
They couldn't help but admit—
Trainers from Pallet Town were terrifying.
"Seeeel~"
(I agree.)
The Seel nearby watched the battlefield with its round eyes and gave its own opinion.
Originally, Misty had been waiting for Ash to make a mistake—hoping he would order Pidgeotto into close combat so she could launch a counterattack.
That might have been her only chance.
But Pidgeotto was simply too fast.
Even the speed boost from Rapid Spin couldn't keep up with it.
And Ash was extremely steady, never giving her an opening. He kept commanding Pidgeotto to kite and wear Staryu down.
This was what a real Pokémon battle looked like.
It wasn't some turn-based game where you take turns using moves.
As long as the Trainer didn't make a mistake, Flying-type Pokémon could kite endlessly.
For Pokémon that couldn't fly and had short reach—
(Definitely not referring to Groudon, of course.)
—that kind of situation was pure despair.
Of course, if the level difference was too large, even a fast Pokémon could be instantly defeated if caught once.
Pokémon: Starmie — Lv. 26
"Staryu, return!"
Misty recalled Staryu and sent out her second Pokémon.
"Go, Starmie!"
Level 26 Starmie…
Among Ash's current Pokémon, only Pikachu had reached the Elite Tier.
Even Gyarados was still one level lower than Starmie.
"Guess I'll send out Gyarados."
Ash decided to give this opportunity to Gyarados.
Pikachu was already Level 30, and the experience gain would be minimal anyway.
It was better to let Gyarados take the battle.
Besides—
Gyarados was also a Water-type, meaning it had the same battlefield advantage.
"Wait… a red Gyarados?!"
The three sisters instantly lost the small hope they had that Misty might win.
They had seen Gyarados before—
But none of them had ever felt such overwhelming pressure from one.
Misty's expression grew serious.
She had a feeling Starmie might get crushed too.
"Starmie, use Rapid Spin!"
"Knock it away with your tail!"
Gyarados swung its massive tail, striking the incoming Starmie.
"Starmie, are you okay?"
Seeing Gyarados easily neutralize the attack, Misty tried to predict Ash's next move.
"Starmie, Swift!"
She decided to test with a long-range move, hoping to reveal some weakness.
That fast?
Ash noticed Starmie was actually faster than Gyarados.
He immediately made a decision.
"Scary Face!"
Gyarados endured the Swift attack head-on.
Then its terrifying glare lowered Starmie's Speed, bringing it roughly down to Gyarados's level.
Just as I expected…
Misty had already guessed Ash would try to slow Starmie down.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
Scary Face was unavoidable—otherwise Starmie wouldn't even get a chance to hit Gyarados.
"It's so tough…"
The three sisters watched as Swift hit Gyarados like it was nothing more than a light scratch.
Nearby, Seel clapped enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be cheering for the wrong side.
"Starmie, Rapid Spin!"
Since Swift wasn't effective, Misty tried Rapid Spin again—both for damage and to increase speed.
"Waterfall!"
Gyarados roared and slammed its tail onto the water.
Massive waves surged outward, flooding the floating platforms and splashing onto the shore.
Then it charged directly toward the spinning Starmie.
"Starmie, dodge!"
Starmie barely avoided the main collision.
But it was still knocked off balance by the towering waves Gyarados created.
"Ice Fang!"
Gyarados whipped around, its icy fangs snapping toward Starmie.
"Dive into the water!"
The moment Misty gave the order—
She regretted it.
Because Starmie had now fallen into the same situation as Staryu earlier.
And Ash's Gyarados also knew Twister.
"Misty's reactions are pretty quick," Ash admitted.
Although Gyarados's Ice Fang had missed, Starmie was gradually falling into his trap.
"Block Starmie's movement—then use Twister!"
Gyarados slammed its tail onto the water first.
Instantly, waves surged violently across the pool.
Then a whirlpool-like Twister formed underwater, trapping Starmie completely.
"Starmie, Rapid Spin!"
Misty tried to escape the vortex using Rapid Spin.
But the floating platforms had already been swept away by Gyarados.
The entire battlefield was now engulfed by the Twister.
A layered trap…
Misty finally understood.
First, lower Starmie's Speed.
Then alter the battlefield conditions.
Finally, use Twister's suction in water to trap Starmie.
Ash…
Could you be a little more straightforward?
Maybe a little more sincerity—
And a little fewer tricks?
Normally Misty watched roadside Trainers get their mentality shattered by Ash's dirty tactics.
Now that it was happening to her—
She finally understood their pain.
"Brine!"
Gyarados fired a powerful Brine attack straight at Starmie.
Boom!
Starmie was blasted onto the shore.
The red gem on its chest flashed repeatedly—
like warning light running out of energy.
"This is bad… Starmie's energy is almost gone!"
Misty looked helplessly at her fallen Pokémon.
It still couldn't defeat Gyarados.
"ROAAAR!"
Gyarados roared triumphantly to celebrate its victory.
Then it turned its head toward Ash and Pikachu.
Level up?
Ash checked Gyarados's stats.
Lv. 25.
"Well… now you understand why we don't want to battle Trainers from Pallet Town," one of the sisters sighed.
"With tricks that dirty—"
"Even a dog would shake its head."
"Hey, that's not dirty tricks," Ash protested.
"That's called tactics."
"Seeeel~!"
(Amazing battle!)
Seel happily clapped again, completely unconcerned that its own side had lost.
"Whose side are you even on?" Violet complained to their rather silly Seel.
Brock stepped forward and said,
"Ash, congratulations on your victory."
"Honestly… your tactics just kept stacking one after another."
He paused before adding with a helpless expression:
"All I can say is—"
"People who play tactics really have dirty hearts."
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