Since their speed is high, let's make them slow down.
The best way to reduce speed is to paralyze the opponent. When in a paralyzed state, the speed is halved, so even if Togekiss is as fast as a plane, once it's paralyzed, it turns into a grounded chicken!
Following the command, Pikachu dashed to the ground. It disappeared instantly under a radiant golden lightning, flashing swiftly across the field. Brock and the others couldn't even catch Pikachu's silhouette before it was already in front of Togekiss.
"Double Team." Cynthia's command still steady, as calm as ever. She seemed never flustered, even if a mountain collapses right in front of her, she maintains her composure, like an absolutely calm Valkyrie.
"Toge~" Togekiss spread its wings, its silhouette instantly transformed into countless doubles, filling the field with a dense array of Togekiss.
The bolt of electricity that Pikachu turned into pierced where the original Togekiss was, but the Togekiss that was hit by Pikachu slowly blurred into shadows and disappeared.
At that moment, Togekiss had already used Double Team to flash away to an unknown location.
"It's a good idea, using paralysis to slow down a fast enemy, but Thunder Wave's speed is too slow to hit an enemy of this speed. So Ash, you chose to close in on Togekiss using Zippy Zap's augmented speed, and then use Nuzzle at point-blank range to paralyze them, right?"
Ash: ...
Cynthia's words made Ash grit his teeth, remaining silent.
His entire strategy was seen through, including why he used such moves to counter was seen through at a glance. Is this what the world's top Trainers are like?
Ash originally thought, having learned from various versions of himself in parallel worlds, many of whom were tactical experts, he could now reach at least the level of a regular Champion if not the top in Trainer commanding abilities.
But encountering the real Champion Ash realized what a Champion's mind is all about, it's not on the same level as ordinary Trainers. He even wondered if when battling Lorelei earlier if she was holding back in commanding aside from using Pokemon.
This feeling of being completely overpowered on the command front was Ash's first since his debut.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to clear all the Togekiss!"
"Pika!!" Pikachu responded with a lively shout, immediately erupting with a spectacular light from his body, illuminating the entire field and sweeping away all those Togekiss.
"You've got a weak spot, Ash. Togekiss, Air Slash." Cynthia commanded confidently with a wave of her small hand.
The remaining Togekiss flapped its wings, white light blades rained down from the sky like raindrops, each one emitting a piercing sound, as if cutting through space.
To the naked eye, it was impossible to tell which light blade was real and which was fake.
"Pikachu, dodge using Zippy Zap!" While others may struggle to tell, for Ash, recognizing authenticity is straightforward.
Under Aura Power detection, the real Air Slash was clearly identified. Pikachu flashed in electric light, comfortably dodging Togekiss's Air Slash, and locked onto the real Togekiss in the air!
"Now, Nuzzle!"
"Safeguard." Upon seeing Pikachu discern the real Air Slash so easily, Cynthia's eyes flashed with an unexplained color, yet her commands remained pinpointed.
Seeing Ash desperately trying to inflict negative effects on Togekiss, she simply isolated negative effects entirely.
Safeguard, once used, allows immunity to all abnormal status effects for a period.
Paralysis, poisoning, sleep, confusion—all ineffective against the user.
"Toge~" Togekiss spread its wings, forming a transparent white barrier around it.
All the Togekiss mimicked this action, but Pikachu had already locked onto the real Togekiss.
Under Zippy Zap, Pikachu brutally tackled the real Togekiss in midair. The electric current flowed through Togekiss's body and bounced off its surface in less than a second.
Even Pikachu suffered from a mysterious counterforce, falling straight down from mid-air, crashing hard into the ground.
"Ugh..." Ash clutched his shoulder, groaning, his face revealing a look of unwillingness.
Safeguard completely isolated any chance of inflicting abnormal statuses, even rebounding the attacking Pikachu.
So far, Pikachu has landed two skills on the opponent, both using Electric Type Zippy Zap, but even with the Light Ball enhancement, the weak power of Zippy Zap coupled with the level difference between Pikachu and Togekiss, couldn't inflict any severe damage on Togekiss.
At most, it only caused minor injuries.
To defeat Togekiss requires decisive skill hits—finishing moves.
Like Pika Papow.
Pika Papow is not only a high-power finishing move but also has the homing feature like Aura Sphere, meaning it can nearly always hit.
The only troublesome part is that it requires a bit of charging during usage—not a lengthy charge like Solar Beam but needing roughly a few seconds to generate electricity, gather lightning, and strike using the power of nature.
But with Togekiss's current speed, having Pikachu use Pika Papow is practically suicide; the enemy won't even allow the chance.
"Still pondering strategies, Ash? If you don't attack, I'm coming, Togekiss, Brave Bird." Ash froze in deep thought on the spot while Cynthia doesn't indulge him.
Using a Flying Type ultimate move right off the bat, Brave Bird!
Among Flying Type's most formidable moves, besides the exclusive techniques of Legendary Beasts, Sky Attack stands out, though Sky Attack requires charging time, usually not used unless to deliver a decisive blow.
Brave Bird, a step down, still boasts formidable power without needing charging time. Its only downside is suffering recoil damage.
Togekiss's body was enveloped in a brilliant blue light, transforming into a lifelike divine bird soaring down towards Pikachu on the ground!
"Pikachu, dodge using Zippy Zap!" There's no time to think of a counter now; just dodge the attack first.
The level difference between them is massive; without using Zippy Zap, Pikachu couldn't even dodge such straightforward attacks from Togekiss. The Champion Level difference really isn't trivial.
While Ash contemplated his next move, Cynthia's voice rang out once more: "Togekiss, Follow Me."
Follow Me? Damn it!
"Pika? Pikapi!!" At the field's edge after initiating Zippy Zap, Pikachu suddenly found himself uncontrollably turning around and rushing back, directly towards Togekiss launching Brave Bird!
Follow Me—skills forcibly attracting all moves towards oneself.
Whether offensive moves or status-inducing moves, anything targeting others is attracted by Follow Me.
Even if Pikachu wants to use Zippy Zap to strike thin air, under Follow Me's influence, he's irresistibly drawn to Togekiss, transforming into an attack aimed at it.
Theoretically, in singles, this move is a dud since attracting the enemy's moves is less useful. Who doesn't want to dodge the opponent's moves during a battle? No one's attracting the opponent's moves reasonably.
But if you can attack simultaneously with Follow Me and possess ATK far surpassing the opponent, this dud skill turns into a divine move!
"Darn it… no choice, go all out, use Volt Tackle!!"