On Satoshi's field stood Mega Charizard X, Mega Sceptile, Greninja, and Riolu.
The first two were his trump cards, Pokémon among his top-tier main team. The latter two couldn't face Mega Manectric directly, but they could assist, disrupt, and open opportunities in battle.
As for Lt. Surge's side, he had started the match brimming with confidence—three elite Pokémon and one Gym Leader-level Pokémon. His advantage had been overwhelming. He charged in recklessly. Now? He was left with only one burnt and heavily injured Mega Manectric.
As previously mentioned, at the start of this battle, Satoshi and Ash were the ones thinking up strategies on how to defeat the powerful Lt. Surge. But now, the situation had flipped. It was Lt. Surge who had to scramble to figure out how to defeat Satoshi.
"Damn it... no, it's worse than that. This is a disaster. Just two high-level Trainers, and they've pushed me to this state…"
Although Lt. Surge's face remained composed, internally he was shaken.
He still believed that if Mega Manectric continued to fight, there was a chance he could win. But he didn't dare gamble anymore.
After all, he'd held the upper hand before. Yet, now things had spiraled so far out of control. He had to admit that Satoshi and Ash weren't just lucky—they were strong.
Ash was completely out of the fight, but Satoshi was still at nearly full strength. That Mega Sceptile alone was a hard counter to his own Pokémon.
If Lt. Surge had known about Lightning Rod being Mega Sceptile's ability, he would've targeted Grovyle before it ever had a chance to evolve.
But there were no "ifs" in battle—and now, his defeat was all but certain.
"He can't do anything to me openly in front of this many people, but… I can't guarantee he won't try something later. And now that the cargo hold has been exposed, there's no doubt I'll be implicated. I can't afford to be revealed yet…"
Lt. Surge's eyes flickered with calculation. "Only one choice left—Plan B."
Plan A, of course, had been to eliminate Satoshi and Ash. But now that had failed. Miserably.
Secretly, Lt. Surge activated a small device clipped inside his jacket. A subtle press sent a silent signal across the ship.
The Rocket Grunts in the lower decks would receive it—and with it, the order to enact Plan B.
His motion was subtle. Almost invisible. But Satoshi, ever-watchful and now thoroughly suspicious, noticed something strange. He couldn't say what Lt. Surge had done—but any unexpected move was cause for alarm.
Without hesitation, he prepared to give the command to Mega Charizard X and Mega Sceptile to finish things. He didn't know what Lt. Surge was planning—but whatever it was, Satoshi intended to stop it.
"Hahaha! I have to admit—you've won this one," Lt. Surge suddenly laughed, loudly and dramatically.
"There's no doubt! You've earned the victory in this Gym challenge!"
He wore the expression of a man trying to seem impressed, even supportive—like a Gym Leader who acknowledged a talented Trainer. Then he tossed something toward Satoshi.
Satoshi didn't catch it directly—he wasn't dumb enough to grab an object thrown by a Rocket executive. Greninja intercepted it smoothly, examined it, then handed it to Satoshi.
Two golden Thunder Badges. Legitimate Gym Badges from the Vermilion City Gym.
Lt. Surge had actually handed them over?
"Lt. Surge, what are you—"
BOOM!
"Long live Team Rocket!!!"
Before Satoshi could finish his sentence, an explosion ripped through the ship.
The sound of shattering steel and panicked screams followed, along with the unmistakable cries of Flying-type Pokémon overhead.
Satoshi and the spectators snapped their heads in the direction of the blast.
It was the tail end of the cruise liner. Rocket Grunts in full uniform were soaring through the air on Fearow and Pidgeot, dropping bombs and explosives over the ship's hull.
"Team Rocket?! Are they insane!?"
"This is a terrorist attack—stop them!!"
Trainers all over the ship began releasing their Pokémon to fight back. It wasn't just about justice—this was survival.
They were in the middle of the ocean. If the ship went down, what would they do?
Even the wealthy passengers and senior League officials were panicking. Some sent out their own Pokémon, while others ordered their guards to engage the enemy.
The deck descended into chaos. Screams rang out. Trainers scrambled. Some ran for shelter; others went to assist in the defense.
Ding! Your opponent Lt. Surge has chosen to escape. Escape successful. Battle result: Victory!
Ding! You defeated Gym Leader Lt. Surge. Rewards: 50,000 Pokédollars, TM [Dark Pulse], and a pair of Black Glasses.
Satoshi blinked.
"...What?"
He immediately turned to where Lt. Surge had been just seconds ago.
The battlefield was empty.
In the confusion caused by the attack, no one had dared approach the dueling grounds. Even those strong enough to help knew that getting caught in the crossfire between Gym Leader-level Pokémon could be fatal.
But in the midst of the chaos, Lt. Surge had vanished.
Even Electabuzz, who'd been thrown onto the deck earlier, was gone. No doubt, it had been recalled to its Poké Ball as Surge made his escape.
A Gym Leader… had fled.
Yes, fled!
"He actually ran away… in the middle of a Gym battle…"
Satoshi was speechless. This wasn't a scripted event. There were no rules against Trainers running away from battle—but he'd never seen someone actually do it.
Let alone a Gym Leader.
"And using an organized Rocket bombing to cover his escape… was this his fallback all along?"
He muttered under his breath, bitterly amused.
"…Was that the legendary Joestar family's ancient technique? The secret art of Ripple Escape?"
"Never thought I'd see Lt. Surge using that… he must really be a man of culture."
Satoshi didn't know whether to laugh or grind his teeth.
Technically, nothing forbade what Lt. Surge had done. But still… it felt cheap. It felt wrong.
Even now, the explosions continued behind them. The deck shuddered as more blasts echoed from the stern.
"Mega Charizard X, Mega Sceptile—go. Assist with the counterattack. Capture as many Rocket Grunts as possible."
Satoshi's voice was cold and determined. Surge may have escaped—but he wasn't going to let all of Team Rocket get away.
Both Mega Evolutions roared and soared toward the rear of the ship.
They'd been prepared to finish a grueling boss battle—but now, their final clash had vanished into smoke. This was their chance to vent some fury—and they would not waste it.
Satoshi, meanwhile, didn't follow.
He knew that chasing Lt. Surge now was pointless. Surge had likely escaped into the skies, or even off the ship entirely.
And Satoshi had something more important to take care of.
Ash.
He was barely hanging on. His condition had worsened. If he didn't get treated soon...
Satoshi grit his teeth and hoisted Ash up carefully. "You idiot," he muttered under his breath. "You've got guts—but don't throw your life away for someone else's battle."
But even as he said it, there was a rare smile at the corner of his lips.
Ash had earned more than Satoshi's respect today.
End of the Chapter.
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