080: Serena Wins Again!!
Clefairy could maintain the use of Copycat as long as the original move Gust was still being used by its opponent. Even without wings,Clefairy continued to sustain the technique through sheer energy manipulation, not aerodynamic power. It wasn't about flight—it was about willpower.
"Clefairy, come on…!!"
"Don't give up…!!"
Although she hadn't received any new telepathic cues from Ash, Serena's voice rang with firm encouragement. Her trust in Clefairy, built through training and experience, kept the energy of the move flowing strong. The small pink Pokémon's expression stayed intense as it channeled wind into a continuous counteroffensive.
Unlike many of the boys in the training camp, Lena had refined her patience over time. With Ash's strategic insight and waveguide coaching, she'd developed a calm combat style that rarely crumbled under pressure.
Even with Gust strengthened through consecutive use, Clefairy still couldn't overpower Pidgey's natural aerial advantage. Yet, it stood its ground. The pressure was clearly shifting.
Across the arena, Xiaofei's frustration boiled over.
"Damn it!!" he growled, unable to keep still. He gritted his teeth, then suddenly barked, "Pidgey, drop down and use Tackle!"
"Bobo!!"
His decision to switch tactics was immediate. The moment Pidgey tucked its wings and dove, Ash watching from the edge of the arena smiled subtly. He'd been waiting for this.
From within Lena's mind, Ash's voice echoed with the calm precision of waveguide-linked telepathy.
"Lena, here comes the rhythm you've drilled so many times. Use Splash to dodge. Wait until Pidgey wears itself out, then end it with Sing."
Ser Lena's response was immediate, almost instinctive after so much training. "Clefairy, quick! Splash—fall back!"
"Pii-yii!" Clefairy chirped, reacting with smooth execution. Ceasing the flow of Copycat, it kicked off the ground with its short legs and launched into a bounding retreat, arcing back across the field with agile little hops.
Whoosh
Pidgey shot down like a feathered missile, wings tucked, eyes narrowed. It was a direct, headlong assault—Tackle, executed with speed and aerial momentum.
But just as Ash had predicted, Serena and Clefairy were more than ready. This was a routine they had refined: when the opponent charged in with close-range moves like Tackle or Pound, they would rely on Splash's evasive motion. It wasn't an attack, but it gave Clefairy enough unpredictable movement to avoid direct hits and tire the opponent out.
The pattern was simple: dodge until the opponent slowed. Then hit with Sing a control move and finish things off with Pound while they slept.
For most matchups, this strategy worked only if the rival was reckless. In this case, Pidgey had every aerial advantage. If Xiaofei had simply stayed in the air and kept using Gust, Clefairy would have eventually worn down under pressure. Even if Copycat mirrored the move, Pidgey's Flying-type nature and higher proficiency gave it the edge.
A long-range war of attrition favored Xiaofei but he hadn't realized that.
He cracked first.
Instead of maintaining his aerial dominance and gradually exhausting Clefairy's stamina, he grew impatient and rushed in with Tackle. That was exactly what Lena needed.
Now, he was playing her rhythm.
Fwoosh
Boom!
Again and again, Pidgey dove with full force, attempting to land a blow. But Clefairy kept slipping away with bouncy, unpredictable movements.
What had been a static wind duel had now shifted into a high-speed chase.
Xiaofei's Pidgey hurled itself forward, only to miss again and again. Each failed dive drained a bit more stamina. And each time, Clefairy danced just out of reach unscathed.
The audience began to murmur. Even some of the instructors at the edge of the field took note of the shift in tone. This wasn't luck—it was control.
Serena's gaze remained calm. She gave short, clean commands, her voice never rising. Her coordination with Clefairy was smooth, almost like a performance. Years of studying others' battle styles, of training with Ash, had finally given her this grace under pressure.
Opposite her, Xiaofei was a storm of frustration. His Pidgey, fast but reckless, wasn't adapting. And neither was he.
He'd entered the battle with a type advantage. He'd had the better move. But he'd lost the plan and now, the momentum belonged entirely to Ser Lena.
At this moment, the opposing Trainer finally recalled that this was Serena and Clefairy's signature strategy the battle rhythm they had perfected through countless matches in the Pewter City Gym under Brock's guidance.
Realizing that prolonged aerial assaults were ineffective and fearing Pidgey's stamina depletion—which would leave it vulnerable to Clefairy's **Sing**—Xiaofei (a rookie Trainer from Viridian City, as noted in Chapter 12) urgently recalled Pidgey mid-attack.
"Pidgey, halt! Shift to **Gust**!" Xiaofei ordered, referencing the move's wider area-of-effect to counter Clefairy's evasive **Splash** maneuvers (a tactic Ash had observed in Misty's Staryu battles).
But Ash's strategy wasn't passive waiting—it was a trap. By forcing the opponent to second-guess their offense, he created openings. Xiaofei's abrupt move change disrupted Pidgey's momentum, leaving it exposed.
"Lena, **Sing**—now!" Ash commanded via the **Wave Guide** (a psychic link hinted in Chapter 5's Mt. Moon arc).
Ser Lena, synced with Ash from their prior tag-team bouts (like their double battle against Team Rocket in Chapter 8), reacted instantly. "Clefairy, Sing!"
"Pii-ya!" Clefairy, mid-Splash, landed lightly and unleashed the lullaby a technique honed under Nurse Joy's care. its melody echoing like a Prima's aria.
Xiaofei paled. "Pidgey, evade—!" But Pidgey, wing-bound, couldn't block the soundwaves (unlike Geodude, whose hands could mute Sing, as seen in Brock's tutorial). The drowsy Pidgey spiraled downward.
"Now, target its wings!" Ash barked, recalling how Pidgeotto's flightlessness crippled its combat prowess (Chapter 7's forest skirmish).
Lena nodded. "Clefairy, **Pound**—wings!"
Clefairy pounced, claws striking with precision a technique mirroring Pikachu's Quick Attack combos (Chapter 1). Each blow battered Pidgey's wings, grounding it permanently.
"Bob—o!" Pidgey collapsed, mirroring Ash's Pidgey's defeat against Falkner (Chapter 10). Xiaofei's frantic cries couldn't reverse the outcome the battle was decided the moment **Sing** connected.
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