"Togetic, use Metronome."
Though Misty did not understand why the Aerial Ace had stopped, in this situation she had no choice but to take a gamble. Besides, her Togetic's luck had always been exceptionally good. Togetic wiggled its finger, and instantly, a burst of yellow electricity erupted—Thunderbolt. Seeing this, Ash immediately ordered Noctowl to drive its Steel Wing into the ground to conduct the electricity. The yellow current struck Noctowl directly, but fortunately, thanks to the Steel Wing acting as a lightning rod, it seemed to be unharmed.
Noctowl charged forward directly with Steel Wing. Pressing the attack, Noctowl pushed through the electricity straight toward Togetic. Bam! Steel Wing struck Togetic squarely, dealing super-effective damage. Togetic was sent flying by the blow, landing right in front of Misty.
"Togetic, are you alright?" Misty asked anxiously, wondering if it could still battle. Togetic nodded to signal that it was still fine.
"Alright, Togetic, use Flamethrower."
"Noctowl, use Brave Bird."
A burst of flames appeared around Noctowl, rapidly burning into a blue energy shield as it surged toward Togetic's Flamethrower. The two powers collided with a deafening explosion. As the smoke cleared, the stamina of both Noctowl and Togetic on the field was reduced to a flicker in the wind, their bodies battered and scarred.
"Noctowl, use Roost," Ash commanded, intending to let Noctowl recover some stamina before unleashing a finishing move on Togetic. Noctowl spread its wings, a flash of light washed over its body, and it successfully regained some stamina. However, just as Ash was about to order Brave Bird, Misty suddenly shouted:
"Togetic, use Draining Kiss!"
"What?!"
Ash stared in utter shock, never expecting Misty to have this move up her sleeve. Togetic flew swiftly toward Noctowl, planted a gentle kiss on its cheek, and darted away just as fast. The stamina Noctowl had just recovered drained away once more, while Togetic's stamina surged back to a relatively healthy level.
"Noctowl, use Air Cutter."
"Togetic, dodge it, then use Flamethrower!"
Because of Noctowl's lowered stamina, the speed of its Air Cutter dropped as well. Togetic easily sidestepped the Air Cutter and immediately countered with Flamethrower. Though Ash hastily ordered Noctowl to dodge, it was too late. Noctowl was struck on the flank by the Flamethrower, and Togetic followed up with Aerial Ace, rendering Noctowl unable to battle.
"Ash, using Steel Wing to dodge that Thunderbolt was really something."
"You're not bad either, Misty, pulling off a comeback at the very end. But you'll need to watch out this time—go, Pikachu!"
Pikachu! Pikachu had been watching from the sidelines the entire time and was already raring to go. It immediately dashed onto the field and struck a battle pose.
"We've got plenty of strategies for dealing with Pikachu. Togetic, use Attract!" Misty said with confidence.
Togetic blinked its eyes, and several pink hearts fluttered out from its gaze toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu, use a low-power Electro Ball on yourself!"
With no other way to counter Attract, Ash had no choice but to use a self-inflicted move to snap Pikachu out of it. Pikachu instantly condensed a small ball of electricity on its tail. Just as Togetic's Attract hit, the Electro Ball detonated, successfully snapping Pikachu out of the infatuation status.
"Togetic, use Attract again! Let's see how many times Pikachu can take an Electro Ball, Ash."
"Pikachu, use Electro Web!"
Since Attract was too troublesome to deal with, Ash decided to prevent Togetic from using it altogether. Pikachu leaped swiftly into the air, discharging a ball of light from its tail that rapidly expanded into a massive net, successfully enveloping Togetic. This move completely stunned Misty.
"Electro Web? I've never seen that move before. Togetic, use Metronome!"
After freezing for a few seconds, Misty quickly barked her orders. Though Togetic was struggling in agony inside the electric net, it desperately began to wiggle its finger, hoping to rely on Metronome to escape.
"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"
Ash hurriedly urged Pikachu to press the attack; Togetic was far too troublesome to let Metronome succeed. "Pika—!" Pikachu let out a cry, gathering electricity around its body in an instant. Transforming into a streak of yellow lightning, it charged straight at Togetic. With a miserable shriek, Togetic was slammed by Pikachu directly into the boundary wall of the arena.
"Togetic is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"
"Pikachu's Volt Tackle is incredible! It took out Misty's ace, Togetic, in a single blow!"
The commentator roared into the microphone at the sight, sending the stadium's atmosphere surging to even greater heights.
"Wah, I never knew Ash's Pikachu had so many moves up its sleeve," Professor Oak remarked, instantly recognizing the techniques Pikachu had deployed.
"Still, we've never seen Pikachu use them normally," Brock muttered, puzzled as to why such powerful moves were kept hidden.
"That move just now looked so cool! Good thing I managed to snap a picture," Delia said, gazing down at the photo she had just taken.
Returning focus to the battlefield.
Misty recalled Togetic and said to Ash, "Looks like you've been picking up a lot of tricks behind the scenes, Ash."
"Not really. I just prepared this specifically to deal with you, Misty."
"Since you're taking this so seriously, I can't let you down. Go, Staryu!"
This time, Misty deployed her veteran Staryu, while Ash recalled Pikachu and sent out Professor Oak backyard's reliable friend—Bulbasaur—continuing his strategy of leveraging type advantages.
"As expected, you sent out Bulbasaur. Staryu, use Water Gun!"
Misty's Staryu executed Water Gun with lightning speed. Bending the angles of its body, a jet of water blasted from its center, racing straight toward Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur quickly sidestepped, dodging the attack. Because Bulbasaur had not evolved, it still retained excellent agility, allowing it to dodge Staryu's barrages of Water Guns one after another.
"Don't underestimate us! Staryu, fire Water Guns from both sides as well."
Seeing its Water Guns constantly evaded, Misty had Staryu add two more streams. Jets of water burst simultaneously from Staryu's lateral points, catching the unprepared Bulbasaur off guard and knocking it back a short distance, though the damage was minimal.
"That's a neat trick, Misty, firing attacks from both sides. Looks like we can't hold back anymore either—use Magical Leaf!"
A massive flurry of Magical Leaves suddenly materialized in the air, intercepting Staryu's Water Guns. The leaves multiplied until they completely surrounded Bulbasaur in a defensive barrier. This was a special technique Ash had Bulbasaur practice extensively. Because Bulbasaur refused to evolve, it could not unleash massive high-power moves in rapid succession like a Venusaur; consequently, Ash had Bulbasaur focus on mastering Magical Leaf, using leaf manipulation to accomplish feats that would otherwise be impossible.
Seeing the Water Guns blocked by Magical Leaf, Misty hastily ordered Staryu to use Gyro Ball, hoping to test if its spinning power could punch through the leafy barrier. But the moment Staryu's Gyro Ball smashed through a few layers of leaves, it was once again enveloped by the endless foliage, which instantly carved a multitude of cuts across Staryu's body.
With no other options, Misty commanded Staryu to use Blizzard. A massive-range Blizzard erupted from the gem on Staryu's chest, successfully freezing the Magical Leaves in front of it and blasting a gap open. Seizing the opportunity, Misty ordered Staryu to charge out, but the moment it emerged, it was swiftly bound by Bulbasaur's Vine Whip.
"Now's our chance, Bulbasaur! Slam Staryu into the ground!"
"Dania!" Bulbasaur used its vines to hurl Staryu down from several meters in the air straight onto the ground. Staryu was battered senseless by the impact, and the jewel on its chest began to blink like the warning light on Ultraman's chest. Taking advantage of Staryu's inability to move, Ash had Bulbasaur finish it off with a final barrage of Magical Leaves, and Staryu finally collapsed, unable to battle.
"Since player Misty has lost three Pokémon, we will now take a five-minute intermission."
The referee announced the end of the first half.