In a normal Gym battle, even if it's a friendly match, it's still Pokemon against Pokemon in equal numbers. The number of Pokemon used can greatly influence the battle.
When multiple Pokemon fight together, their strength can increase exponentially.
Previously, when Ash challenged the Pewter Gym, if he only had Butterfree or Pikachu, there was no way he could have won so easily.
So when Misty proposed a three-on-one battle, Ash was stunned.
"You're looking down on me, Misty! A Gym battle should be fought with the same number of Pokemon on each side! What's with the three-on-one?" Ash said, slightly displeased.
"I know, but the lower-level Pokemon in the Gym are still at the Pokemon Center. Based on your Gym Badge and your travel time, I should be arranging the lowest level of challenge for you, but it's not possible now, so I can only use my main Pokemon."
"Didn't you want to battle me before and I refused? Just so you know, my strongest Pokemon is at the Elite Peak level. While it doesn't match the Professional Level of other Gym Leaders' main Pokemon, it's certainly not something your Pokemon can compete with," Misty stated bluntly.
In simple terms, the level of Ash's Pokemon was too low, and she couldn't bring out the lower-level Pokemon from the Gym to battle Ash, so she had to use special rules.
While using tactics can somewhat make up for level differences, there was still too much of a gap between Ash's Pokemon and hers. During this journey, Misty had gotten to know Ash well. Did she not know how strong Ash was?
The strongest Pikachu was only at the Advanced Level, estimated to be in the middle of the Advanced Level, while the rest of the Pokemon weren't even at the Advanced Level, which was obvious.
Her Pokemon was at the Elite Peak level, almost a big level and two small levels higher than Ash's strongest Pikachu.
What kind of tactics could make up for this level difference? Moreover, she had the terrain advantage. If Ash had more than three battle-ready Pokemon, Misty wouldn't have proposed a three-on-one battle; instead, she would have allowed Ash to bring out more Pokemon.
However, Misty did have a relatively weaker Pokemon, a primary Goldeen that was about to evolve.
If she used that Pokemon against Ash, there was still a significant chance Ash could win, but Misty wanted to use the strongest power to fight Ash!
Not being able to have a formal three-on-three battle with Ash was already a regret for Misty, but she at least wanted to fight with her strongest Pokemon, and… win!
Misty's intuition told her that if she couldn't win against Ash this time, the chances of defeating him in future battles would be slim.
This guy was improving too quickly. Who knew what kind of challenger he would become in a year or more?
"...Alright, three-on-one it is. Don't say I'm not being fair if I lose!" Ash thought for a moment and finally agreed to Misty's request.
Misty's Starmie was stronger than all of Ash's Pokemon combined, so three-on-one wasn't unfair to Misty but to Ash. With such a huge level gap, three-on-one would still be at a disadvantage for him.
But that's just as well; without facing challenges, how could he advance quickly toward becoming a Champion?
"Then, according to Gym challenge rules, I'll bring out my Pokemon first... Go, my darling!" Misty threw out a Pokeball, and with a flash of light, a pale purple Starmie with a blood-red gem appeared in the field.
"So it's Starmie, huh? Ralts, stand aside for now; you won't be battling today. Watch how the seniors fight... It's up to you, Butterfree!" Ash placed Ralts beside his feet, gave it a couple of instructions, and then threw out Butterfree's Pokeball.
"So it's Butterfree first, huh? But after watching your battle with Brock, your previous tactics won't work on me," Misty said with a slight smile.
The Sleep Powder, String Shot, and Supersonic tactics were indeed troublesome, but at her home ground, Misty had many ways to counteract them. Moreover, her Starmie's strength was far superior to Butterfree.
The stronger the Pokemon, the weaker the additional status effects. Even if Starmie really fell asleep, it was estimated to wake in less than ten seconds.
This was the disparity caused by a huge level difference.
"Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" Ash commanded, ignoring Misty's verbal jabs, and deployed Sleep Powder right away.
"Didn't I say it wouldn't work? Starmie, jump into the water." Misty had Starmie leap into the water in response to Sleep Powder.
The Water Field of the Cerulean Gym was a huge swimming pool, used by the Three Sisters of Cerulean for water ballet performances. There were some floating planks for land-based Pokemon to stand on, but the area was very narrow and there weren't many of them.
So, Misty had an absolute advantage in this field. Starmie spun on a plank and dove into the water, making the Sleep Powder unable to touch Starmie.
Moreover, even if it was touched, Starmie could wash it off by diving into the water before the Sleep Powder took effect. That's why Misty said Ash's tactics wouldn't work on her.
Seeing Starmie jump into the water, a gleam appeared in Ash's eyes: "Come back, Butterfree. It's your turn, Pidgeotto!" Ash recalled Butterfree and sent out Pidgeotto.
"Coo-coo!" Pidgeotto cried out crisply as it made its debut at the Gym.
"Realized, haven't you? Butterfree has no way of affecting Starmie."
"Hmph! Everything Butterfree did wasn't in vain; it successfully forced Starmie into the water! Pidgeotto, use Whirlwind!" Ash snorted, commanding Pidgeotto to unleash Whirlwind!
This Pidgeotto knew more moves than Ash expected. Before the Gym challenge, he had already envisioned the scene of challenging the Cerulean Gym based on the guidance of some experts in his circle.
Even though the opponent was Misty, he didn't change what he had to do and the strategy he would use.
The whirlwind whipped up, and the howling wind lifted the water from the pool, even churning the bottom!
Starmie in the water was uncontrollably swept up by the swirling rainwater, spinning crazily in the water.
"Using the Water Field against me? You really are something, Ash. Starmie, get out of the water!" Misty was taken aback by Ash's maneuver. The other side had used the terrain advantage against her, using the flow of water and the suction of the whirlwind to trap Starmie inside the whirlwind.
This could indeed cause damage to Starmie. Misty urgently commanded Starmie to exit the water.
However, the suction and influence of the Whirlwind combined with the turbulent water were too great. Starmie couldn't immediately break free from the water, and the water in the pool, being sucked up by the Whirlwind, was rapidly decreasing...