Staryu in the pool immediately responded to the command, firing a Water Gun straight at Clefairy on the floating platform.
Facing the incoming attack, Sam remained calm. He had already planned his response the moment Clefairy entered the field.
The floating platform was small, making it difficult to dodge using normal movement alone. But Sam had no intention of relying on conventional evasion.
He snapped his fingers lightly.
"Clefairy, use Minimize."
Clefairy instantly curled up, its body shrinking to a much smaller size.
The Water Gun, originally aimed at Clefairy's head, suddenly lost its target and splashed harmlessly into the pool behind it.
"What?!" Misty exclaimed in shock. She hadn't expected Sam to use Minimize to evade Staryu's attack.
When she recovered, admiration flickered in her eyes. Sam was without question the most outstanding rookie Trainer she had encountered so far.
Compared to him, Ash, also a rookie, was clearly still far behind.
"Clefairy, use Sweet Kiss," Sam said calmly.
Successfully dodging the Water Gun didn't excite him. He knew the real battle had only just begun.
The Clefairy Sam had captured was rather special. Compared to physical or special attacks, status and transformation moves were its true forte.
Now, it was Clefairy's turn to act.
Clefairy blew a kiss toward Staryu.
A large pink heart floated through the air, heading straight for its target.
Staryu seemed momentarily overwhelmed by the sudden display of affection. Under normal circumstances, Sweet Kiss worked better on Pokémon of the opposite gender, but against Staryu, that wasn't an issue.
After all, Staryu was a rare genderless Pokémon.
By the time Misty realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Struck by Sweet Kiss, Staryu fell into a state of confusion.
It began firing off moves wildly in the pool, even repeatedly striking itself with its own limbs.
This was the classic result of confusion, acting recklessly and hurting itself.
"It's time to finish this," Sam said with a slight smile.
"Clefairy, use Metronome."
"Metronome?" Misty frowned in confusion.
Staryu was already in disarray. Clefairy could easily win using a direct attack. She couldn't understand why Sam would choose such an unstable move at this point.
Everyone knew that Metronome was unpredictable.
If luck was bad, it might turn into something completely useless, like Splash.
For a brief moment, Misty, who had been feeling hopeless, regained a sliver of confidence.
But reality quickly proved her wrong.
Clefairy's Metronome didn't produce a meaningless move.
Instead,
Thunderbolt.
A powerful electric attack surged from Clefairy, striking Staryu head-on.
Already weakened and confused, Staryu stood no chance. It immediately lost the ability to battle.
"Well done, Clefairy," Sam said, his smile widening as victory was secured.
From Misty's perspective, using Metronome had been a risky gamble.
But Sam knew exactly what he was doing.
He had tested Clefairy countless times back at Mt. Moon and had arrived at an astonishing conclusion,
Clefairy's Metronome wasn't normal.
Other Pokémon's Metronome was filled with uncertainty. Clefairy's wasn't.
Its Metronome always summoned the move most suitable for the current situation.
Unscientific.
Unbelievable.
Almost like cheating.
After recalling the defeated Staryu, Misty felt genuine pressure for the first time.
She took this Gym battle seriously, and she wanted to win.
Taking a deep breath, she threw her final Poké Ball.
"Please, Dewgong!"
A large, white Pokémon emerged from the water, its presence immediately filling the arena.
[Pokémon]: Dewgong
[Type]: Water / Ice
[Strength]: Elite Mid-Level
[Potential]: Gym Level
Seeing Dewgong take the field, Sam's expression turned serious.
He hadn't expected Misty to still have an elite-level Pokémon in reserve.
This was troublesome.
Because of the water-based battlefield, Scyther couldn't be used effectively. That meant his only real option was Bulbasaur.
But before that, he needed to wear Dewgong down as much as possible.
Clefairy's role was clear, consume Dewgong's stamina and create opportunities for Bulbasaur to finish the fight.
Having made up his mind, Sam didn't hesitate.
"Clefairy, use Metronome again."
Clefairy wagged its finger adorably.
Once more,
Thunderbolt.
Clefairy had summoned Thunderbolt twice in a row, surprising Misty yet again. Still, she forced herself to stay calm.
"Dewgong," Misty commanded, "use Ice Beam."