A proper Gym match—no matter how lenient the Gym Leader was—was always supposed to be even. The same number of Pokémon on both sides. The number of Pokémon alone could completely change the flow of a battle.
With multiple Pokémon coordinating, their combined strength could multiply several times over.
When Ash Ketchum had challenged the Pewter Gym, if he'd only used Butterfree or Pikachu alone, there's no way the battle would've gone so smoothly.
So when Misty said she wanted a three-on-one match, Ash froze.
"You've gotta be kidding me, Misty! Are you looking down on me or something? Gym battles are supposed to be fair—same number of Pokémon on both sides! What kind of rule is three-on-one?!" he complained, clearly annoyed.
"I know that," Misty replied calmly. "But the lower-tier Pokémon we use for beginner-level matches are all at the Pokémon Center right now. Based on your current number of Gym Badges and how long you've been traveling, I'm supposed to give you the lowest-difficulty challenge. But I can't do that right now, so I'll have to use my main Pokémon instead."
She paused, crossing her arms. "Remember when you wanted to battle me before and I refused? Well, I'll tell you straight: my strongest Pokémon is at Elite Peak Tier. It might not reach the Professional Tier that most Gym Leaders' aces have, but it's still way beyond anything you've got."
In other words, Ash's Pokémon were too low-level, and Misty couldn't pull out weaker ones to match him. So she had to bend the rules.
Tactics could only compensate for a small part of a Tier gap. Misty knew Ash's team inside and out—she'd been traveling with him, after all. His strongest Pokémon, Pikachu, was only Advanced Tier, maybe mid-level at best. The others hadn't even reached Advanced yet.
Her ace, on the other hand, was Elite Peak. That was more than a full major Tier and two sublevels above Pikachu.
How was anyone supposed to make up that kind of gap with strategy alone? Not to mention, this was her home ground—an all-water arena. If Ash had more than three battle-ready Pokémon, she wouldn't have said "three-on-one" at all. She would've let him bring a full team.
Technically, Misty did have weaker Pokémon, like her Goldeen, which had already reached early Elite and was close to evolving. If she used that one, Ash would probably stand a solid chance of winning.
But she didn't want an easy fight. Misty wanted to face Ash with everything she had. Not being able to have a proper three-on-three already felt like a shame—so the least she could do was fight him with her strongest Pokémon. And maybe… win.
Her gut told her that if she couldn't beat Ash here and now, she might never beat him again. His growth rate was terrifying. In another year or two, who knew what kind of monster he'd become?
"…Fine," Ash finally said after thinking it over. "Three-on-one it is. But don't come crying that it wasn't fair when you lose!"
Given how strong her Starmie was, this matchup wasn't unfair to Misty—it was unfair to him. Even three-on-one, the odds weren't in his favor.
But that was fine. Without challenges like this, how else could he move closer to becoming a Champion?
"Then, by the rules of a Gym challenge, I'll send out my Pokémon first," Misty declared. "Go, my treasure!"
She tossed her Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, a lavender-colored Starmie appeared, its crimson gem core gleaming like blood under the lights.
"Knew it—Starmie," Ash muttered. He crouched down, setting Ralts beside him. "You sit this one out and watch how your seniors battle, okay? Let's go, Butterfree!"
He threw another Poké Ball, and Butterfree fluttered into the air, wings shimmering in the light.
"The first one's Butterfree, huh?" Misty smirked. "But after watching your match with Brock, that little Sleep Powder and String Shot combo isn't gonna work on me anymore."
That infamous combo—Sleep Powder, String Shot, Supersonic—was undeniably annoying. But in her home arena, Misty had plenty of ways to counter it. Plus, her Starmie's sheer power made status effects nearly useless.
The stronger the Pokémon, the weaker the effect of such conditions. Even if Starmie somehow fell asleep, it'd probably wake up in less than ten seconds.
That was what a massive Tier gap meant.
"Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" Ash ordered, ignoring Misty's words completely.
"I told you—it won't work! Starmie, dive into the water!"
At her command, Starmie spun gracefully and plunged into the pool below. The Cerulean Gym's battlefield was a massive swimming arena—one the Sensational Sisters usually used for their water ballet shows. A few floating platforms allowed non-swimming Pokémon to stand, but they were small and scarce.
That meant Misty had the absolute advantage here. Starmie spun once on a platform and slipped into the water before the Sleep Powder could even touch it.
Even if some powder made contact, it would wash off instantly underwater. That was why Misty had said Ash's old strategy wouldn't work on her.
Ash's eyes flashed. "Return, Butterfree! You did great. Now it's your turn—Pidgeotto!"
He swapped his Pokémon in a single, smooth motion.
"Pidgeo!" Pidgeotto cried sharply, spreading its wings wide—the first time it had taken the spotlight in a Gym match.
"See? You finally get it. Butterfree can't touch Starmie."
Ash grinned. "Oh, you're wrong about that. Butterfree did its job perfectly—it forced Starmie into the water! Pidgeotto, use Twister!"
Misty's eyes widened.
The air roared as Pidgeotto whipped up a massive Twister, the wind lashing the pool into a vortex. The water churned violently, spinning up from the surface like a small hurricane.
Inside, Starmie was caught in the raging current, spinning helplessly as the whirlpool twisted it around.
"Using the water arena against me, huh? Clever, Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "Starmie, get out of there—now!"
But the combined suction of Twister and the swirling water was too strong. Starmie struggled, spinning wildly beneath the surface, unable to escape. The pool's water level began to drop rapidly as the vortex consumed everything in its path.