"It's Team Rocket!"
Ash quickly crouched down, hiding behind the railing as he observed a group of Team Rocket grunts in their black uniforms, moving boxes below.
"You recognize them? Looks like you've met Team Rocket before?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow, curious about Ash's experience with them.
In the original story, Ash first encountered Team Rocket at Mt. Moon when they were trying to steal fossils, but since Satoshi had interfered and altered the timeline, Ash never met Misty there or encountered Team Rocket's schemes. So, how did Ash know them now?
"I ran into them right after leaving Pallet Town. I also stopped their crimes several times, so I've fought them more than once," Ash explained.
Satoshi smirked. No matter what timeline he was in, Ash's heroic nature meant he would always end up clashing with Team Rocket. The young Trainer's love for Pokémon and sense of justice made him a natural enemy of the criminal organization.
"Ash, take a closer look. Those boxes down there—they're filled with Poké Balls. Those are the stolen Pokémon," Satoshi pointed out.
"The Pokémon stolen across Kanto Region are smuggled to other regions to be sold on the black market, or sometimes laundered through 'legitimate' businesses owned by Team Rocket so that they can be sold back into Kanto legally. It's a fully closed-loop operation."
Satoshi already knew this from his past life. Team Rocket was a massive underground syndicate, controlling numerous companies that allowed them to hide their illegal operations in plain sight.
"Now that we found them, there's no reason to wait. Let's take them down and rescue the Pokémon!" Ash clenched his fists, pulling his hat lower over his eyes before jumping out from cover.
Without hesitation, he released Ivysaur and Frogadier, rushing straight toward Team Rocket's grunts.
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?! AHHHHH!"
"Enemy attack! Someone's infiltrated the cargo hold! Everyone, get out here!"
Ash's sudden assault threw the entire lower deck into chaos. The Team Rocket members, caught off guard, scrambled to respond.
Fortunately, the S.S. Anne's soundproofing was top-tier, so the battle noise wouldn't reach the upper decks, meaning the passengers and crew above had no idea what was happening below.
Satoshi sighed.
"...Ash, you charged in like a berserker. You're acting like a character using a 'Musou' attack in a game, wiping out waves of enemies with reckless abandon."
Even though Satoshi didn't mind fighting Team Rocket, he would have preferred stealth—taking out the grunts quietly so they wouldn't waste energy before fighting the real boss.
"Wouldn't it be smarter to silently take out the guards first, instead of fighting them all at once and using up our strength?"
Unlike Ash, Satoshi had a different approach. While Ash was tanking all the aggro, Satoshi sneaked toward a side door, which seemed to be the living quarters for the Rocket grunts.
Because of Ash's commotion, many Team Rocket members rushed out, leaving the area unguarded.
The moment the grunts stepped out, they saw Ash wrecking their allies, which made them furious. They released their Pokémon and charged forward.
But they never noticed Satoshi, who was hiding behind them.
That was a big mistake.
Satoshi raised his hand, silently signaling his Pokémon.
Charmeleon, Frogadier, Riolu, and Grovyle launched a coordinated attack.
[Flamethrower]! [Water Pulse]! [Thunder Punch]! [Iron Tail]!
The Team Rocket members never saw it coming.
"WHAT?! There's another one?! AHHHHH—"
Their Pokémon were defeated instantly, and the grunts collapsed before they could even react.
In the end, Ash had the flashiest attack, but Satoshi took out more enemies, and in half the time.
Seeing this, Ash hesitated.
He had witnessed how Satoshi handled the fight—his method was efficient, but it felt... different.
"Ash, think about it. This wasn't a 1-on-1 Pokémon battle. When you're outnumbered, fighting head-on isn't always the best option. Sometimes, strategy matters more than brute force."
"If you waste too much energy on the grunts, you'll be weaker when you face the boss."
"You want to fight fairly, but if you exhaust yourself before the real fight, you'll be at a huge disadvantage."
Satoshi explained his reasoning calmly, while Ash listened carefully.
"...Now that you mention it, it does make sense. Next time, I'll do the same," Ash admitted.
Even though Ash preferred straight-up battles, he wasn't stubborn. He was willing to learn.
But just as Ash and Satoshi finished talking—
"WATCH OUT!!"
Both Satoshi and Ash shouted at the same time.
A blinding bolt of lightning crashed down like a spear from the sky, splitting the air with a loud crack.
At the same time, a massive shadow loomed over them, followed by a powerful strike aimed directly at their heads!
A normal person wouldn't have reacted in time.
A normal person would have been taken out instantly.
But Ash and Satoshi weren't normal people.
"[Iron Tail] and [Brick Break]! COUNTERATTACK!"
"Pikachu! Frogadier!"
With perfect synchronization, both Trainers ordered their Pokémon to strike back.
Charmeleon and Frogadier used [Iron Tail], clashing with the opponent's Iron Tail in a brutal exchange.
Meanwhile, Riolu and Grovyle combined [Blaze Kick] and [Leaf Blade], launching a powerful counterstrike toward the enemy's body.
At the same time, Pikachu and Frogadier used [Iron Tail] and [Ice Punch] to intercept the enemy's [Brick Break] attack.
For a few seconds, the battlefield was at a standstill.
Then—
The balance shattered.
Even though Satoshi and Ash reacted fast, their Pokémon weren't fully prepared at the start.
And more importantly—
Their opponent was stronger.
The enemy's power overwhelmed them, forcing Charmeleon and Frogadier to stumble back. Riolu and Grovyle were blasted away by a shockwave of electricity.
Pikachu and Frogadier suffered the same fate, yelping as they were knocked backward.
Only Ivysaur's [Razor Leaf] managed to stop the enemy's advance.
"Hahaha~~~!"
A deep, confident voice echoed through the air.
"Not bad, kids. Your reaction time was pretty impressive. Most Trainers would've been finished instantly!"
From the shadows, a tall man stepped forward.
Dressed in a military uniform and combat pants, he exuded a powerful presence.
And standing beside him—
A Raichu and an Elekid.
End of the Chapter.
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