"It's Team Rocket!"
Ash quickly dropped to a crouch, concealing himself behind the railing's corner. From his vantage point, he could see several Team Rocket members in black uniforms moving boxes on the lower deck.
"You recognize them? So Ash has encountered Team Rocket before?" Eddie found this intriguing. In the original storyline, Ash had met Team Rocket at Mt. Moon with Misty, where they had disrupted Team Rocket's operations.
But now, because of Eddie's presence, Ash hadn't met Misty at Mt. Moon, which meant he'd missed that direct confrontation with Team Rocket. So how did Ash know who they were?
"I first ran into them when I just left Pallet Town to start my journey," Ash explained. "I've stopped their schemes several times already. We've battled quite a lot."
Ash was a passionate boy with a brave and righteous heart. Even without his experiences from the original timeline, his natural instinct upon meeting Team Rocket would be to oppose them.
Eddie sighed upon hearing this. Regardless of circumstances, Ash and Team Rocket seemed destined to clash. After all, Ash, who loved Pokémon and was always ready to help others, would naturally stand against Team Rocket's evil deeds.
"Ash, do you see that those boxes are full of Poké Balls? Those must contain the stolen Pokémon," Eddie pointed out.
"The Pokémon stolen in the Kanto region are transported to other regions for sale, or they're simply cycled back into Kanto through legitimate channels so no one suspects anything."
Eddie naturally understood that Team Rocket's operations had a well-defined closed loop. For a massive criminal organization like Team Rocket, controlling a dozen front companies would be effortless.
"Now that we've found them, let's take down these Team Rocket grunts and rescue the Pokémon right away," Ash declared, already adjusting his stance for battle. He pulled his hat brim backward in his characteristic pre-battle gesture.
Without hesitation, he leaped forward, releasing his Ivysaur and Pikachu before charging toward Team Rocket.
"Who are you? Why are you here?! Ahhhh..."
"We're under attack! Everyone come out and fight!"
Ash's sudden appearance threw the entire bottom deck of the cruise ship into chaos.
Fortunately, the sound insulation was excellent. Though the bottom floor was in uproar, the noise wouldn't reach the upper decks, leaving the passengers resting in their cabins unaware of the battle unfolding below.
"...Although I don't mind starting the battle now, Ash looks like some kind of top-tier assassin with his 'sneak in and defeat everyone with unparalleled skill' approach," Eddie complained, covering his face as Ash charged ahead before he could even react.
"Wouldn't it be better to take out these grunts with stealth attacks and save our energy for facing the leader?"
The enemy leader would likely be formidable, and Eddie preferred not to waste energy fighting these underlings.
So while Ash was battling the grunts , Eddie sneaked to the side of a door that appeared to be the Team Rocket members' quarters. Because of Ash's distraction, many Rocket grunts were rushing out of it.
As they emerged, they saw Ash battling their comrades with three Pokémon. Enraged, they immediately released their own Pokémon and charged toward Ash.
But they failed to notice Eddie hiding behind them.
And that was their downfall.
Eddie gestured, releasing all his Pokémon at once.
Flamethrower, Water Pulse, Thunder Punch, Iron Tail—his Pokémon unleashed their attacks on the defenseless Team Rocket members.
"What?! There's another trainer! Ahhhh..."
The Team Rocket grunts had no time to defend themselves. Eddie's Pokémon swiftly defeated their Pokémon and knocked them unconscious.
While Ash was battling head-on, Eddie had defeated far more Team Rocket members, and much more efficiently.
When Ash finished his own battles, he noticed Eddie's relaxed demeanor and fell into deep thought.
He had just witnessed how easily Eddie had taken down Team Rocket, but something about the method felt strange to him.
"Ash, think about it," Eddie said. "We weren't having traditional one-on-one Pokémon battles just now. When facing a group of opponents, you need to use strategy if you want to win efficiently."
"Consider this—you spent considerable effort defeating these obvious underlings, which consumed a lot of your energy and stamina."
"Next, you'll have to face their leader. You won't be in peak condition when you confront them, which puts you at a disadvantage. If you want to battle the real threat effectively, you need to conserve your strength, right?"
Eddie could see Ash's inner conflict, so he tried to reason with him.
He wasn't worried about convincing Ash. Even if he couldn't, as long as he made valid points, they'd remain good friends. Besides, his logic was sound—when facing multiple enemies, this approach made sense.
"...Chris, what you're saying does make sense. I'll try your strategy next time," Ash admitted after careful consideration, finding Eddie's argument reasonable.
After all, even Ash, who loved proper Pokémon battles, didn't want to waste his energy on mere grunts.
"Be careful!!" they both shouted simultaneously, interrupting their conversation.
A lightning bolt shot through the air like a spear, followed by a massive shadow descending upon them with fierce intent.
An ordinary person would have had no chance to react and would likely have been struck down.
But were Ash and Eddie ordinary people?
"Iron Tail and Brick Break—counter now!"
"Pikachu! Frogadier!"
Ash and Eddie responded in perfect sync without needing to communicate.
Charmeleon and Frogadier instantly used Iron Tail to counter the enemy's Iron Tail, while Riolu's Blaze Kick and Grovyle's Leaf Blade targeted the enemy directly.
Pikachu employed Iron Tail to counter the enemy's Brick Break attack, while Frogadier used Ice Punch to fight alongside Pikachu.
The scene froze in deadlock for a brief moment before the balance shifted.
Despite Ash and Eddie's quick reactions, their Pokémon hadn't been fully prepared for the initial attack.
Additionally, their opponent was clearly stronger, so their Pokémon's counterattacks quickly faltered.
Charmeleon and Frogadier grunted as they were propelled backward several meters, while Riolu and Grovyle were repelled by the electricity surrounding their opponent.
Pikachu and Frogadier suffered a similar fate. With painful cries, their small bodies were thrown backward.
Fortunately, Ash's Ivysaur was still able to use Razor Leaf to halt the enemy's advance.
"Hahaha! Excellent! Though I attacked on impulse, you two reacted impressively fast. You're quite remarkable for trainers so young," a man in military attire declared with a generous laugh.
Standing before him were a Raichu and an Elekid.