"Thanks for the electricity, buddy!"
Caster smiled at Ash. "That current of yours helped us finish setting everything up. Now it's time for us to get serious!"
His Pikachu had lost the clash of attacks, but its Special Attack had risen by one stage. It had also used the electricity from Ash's Pikachu to establish Electric Terrain.
Caster was confident they could sweep the opposing team now!
"The other Pikachu isn't hurt? How is that possible?"
Ash stood on his platform, bewildered.
Ash didn't know much about Abilities.
Of course, there were plenty of gaps in Ash's knowledge. Abilities were only one small example.
Fortunately, he was quick to react in battle. After a moment's confusion, he called, "Pikachu, Agility!"
If Electric-type moves didn't work, they'd fight up close.
Using Agility to close the distance and boost Pikachu's Speed first would help.
"Alluring Voice!"
Caster's voice was calm, but the command was terrible news for Ash's Pikachu.
As Caster's Pikachu opened its mouth and sang with an angelic voice, Ash's Pikachu began to stagger mid-run. Its thoughts grew muddled.
A moment later, it grunted in pain, taking heavy damage.
It also became confused, shaking its head as stars spun around it.
"Pikachu!"
Ash shouted in alarm, but there was nothing he could do.
Hum!
Pink light flooded the battlefield as Dazzling Gleam finally brought Ash's Pikachu down.
"Pikachu, are you okay?"
Ash hurried down from his platform and gently gathered Pikachu into his arms.
"Pika pi..."
Pikachu slowly stirred, looking apologetic.
"You did your best, Pikachu. Leave the rest to the others!"
Ash carried Pikachu back to his platform and set it down. Then he took out a Poké Ball and threw it hard.
"Go, Muk!"
"Muuuk!"
Muk had an enormous mouth and two arms, but its entire body consisted of sludge. The poisonous fluid seeping from it smelled so foul it could overwhelm a person's sense of smell.
A single drop could turn a swimming pool cloudy and foul-smelling. Any plants it touched would wither immediately.
As soon as Muk appeared, both Pikachu and Caster frowned.
"Muk, Poison Gas!"
"Pikachu, Thunder!"
The battle resumed, and the two Trainers gave their orders almost simultaneously.
"Muuuk!"
Muk opened its huge mouth. Dark purple poison gas drifted out from within.
Poison Gas was a Poison-type move that poisoned an opponent who inhaled it.
Clearly, Ash wanted to poison Pikachu and limit its ability to fight.
The idea was sound, but Caster wasn't about to give Muk the chance.
Boom!
A golden bolt burst from Pikachu. Strengthened by Electric Terrain, it grew thicker and struck Muk several dozen yards away before it could react.
The gas Muk had just released ignited in a violent explosion. A small mushroom cloud rose from the field.
A breeze gradually cleared the smoke.
The referee leaned forward to look. A huge crater had opened in the battlefield.
At its center lay Muk, reduced to a puddle of sludge. Its eyes spun, and its body was scorched black.
"Muk is unable to battle!"
The referee hurriedly raised his flag.
"Muk went down in one hit? Since when did Pikachu hit that hard?"
Plenty of viewers in the stream were surprised.
Soon, a know-it-all in the chat stepped in to explain.
"What's so surprising? Don't forget, Pikachu's Lightning Rod activated earlier. Its Special Attack went up."
"Also, while it was absorbing the other Pikachu's electricity, I saw some of the current spread around the field. It disappeared almost immediately, but if I'm right, that was Electric Terrain. It boosts the power of Electric-type moves."
"Then Muk's gas exploded, making the attack even stronger. With all three of those together, even a Shuckle would've gone down, never mind Muk."
The explanation cleared things up for the other viewers.
Meanwhile, in the competitors' lounge, Gary shook his head.
With the boosts from Lightning Rod and Electric Terrain, Caster's Pikachu was already powerful enough to sweep a team.
On paper, Ash had no chance now.
His only hope was to make it to the intermission, then avoid giving Caster the same opportunity to set up in the second half.
"Tauros, I choose you!"
Ash recalled Muk and sent out Tauros.
The bull-like Pokémon had a mane around its neck, three tails, and three spots on its forehead.
Ash owned thirty Tauros. This one was the leader of the herd, so it was certainly no weakling.
"Tauros, Fissure!"
Ash gave his next command.
Fissure was a Ground-type move that could knock out its target in one hit. If it landed, it could turn the battle around.
The problem was that powerful moves generally took longer to prepare.
One-hit knockout moves were particularly notorious for their long windup.
Thud, thud, thud!
Tauros had barely stomped its hooves a few times when an enormous bolt of electricity struck it. The ground hadn't even started shaking yet.
"Taaaau!"
With a cry of pain, Tauros collapsed, black smoke rising from its body.
"Tauros is unable to battle!"
The referee gave his ruling, then announced, "Three of Ash's Pokémon are now unable to battle. We will take a five-minute intermission!"
At his signal, the match paused.
Regional tournaments used this format to make the battles more entertaining and give a struggling competitor a chance to regroup.
Take Ash's match against Caster. Without the intermission, Pikachu could theoretically defeat all six opposing Pokémon without much trouble.
Ash's other options were Charizard, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Kingler, and Pidgeotto.
Caster didn't know which of those Ash had brought to this match.
But four of the five were weak to Electric-type moves.
Even Bulbasaur, which wasn't weak to electricity, was still unevolved and couldn't take many hits.
With Lightning Rod and Electric Terrain boosting its attacks, Pikachu shouldn't have much trouble knocking it out with a single Thunderbolt.
"That was an incredible display of power. Exactly what you'd expect from Caster!"
"Yes. Ash looks completely inexperienced next to him."
In the stands, Professor Oak and Brock couldn't help marveling at the difference.
"Do you think Ash will take it badly?"
Misty frowned. She was worried the defeat might get to him. After all, a single Pikachu had beaten three of his Pokémon.
By now, even Delia could see how badly things were going for Ash.
But she had faith in her son's ability to handle it.
"Caster is a rival Ash respects," she said with a smile. "He won't be bitter about losing to him."
She looked toward Ash's platform.
He wasn't standing there, though. He was sitting in a chair, thinking quietly.
After a while, he yanked off his cap and scrubbed at his hair in frustration.
"Caster's too strong! I can't think of any way to win!"
Just as Delia had expected, Ash was frustrated by how badly he'd been beaten, but it hadn't broken his spirit.
Time passed quickly. Before long, the five minutes were up.
"All right, the second half is about to begin!"
The commentator's voice drew the distracted crowd's attention back to the field.
"Caster still has all six Pokémon available, while Ash has only three! How will the second half of this match unfold?"