Seeing that this Zap Cannon was about to hit Charizard and Riolu, a small figure appeared in front of the blast.
"Pikachu!! Thunderbolt!"
Ash dragged his injured body, still recovering from the previous Thunder, and roared with all his strength.
"Pikachu~~~~~~!!!"
The little electric mouse, though clearly not strong enough, used its own electric-type move to clash with the powerful Zap Cannon. It didn't hesitate. It rammed straight into the blast, using Thunderbolt to resist it directly.
However, the gap in strength between the two electric attacks was overwhelming. Pikachu managed to hold off the attack for only a few seconds before the Zap Cannon broke through, striking it squarely.
"Pikachu!!!!"
Despite the electric blast coursing through its body, Pikachu did not retreat. It pushed through the pain, teeth clenched, muscles twitching violently as it held its ground. In the end, its small body gave out. It was paralyzed and collapsed onto the deck, unmoving.
"You brat! You actually blocked my attack again?! That's twice now! Since you're so eager to die in place of your comrades, I'll help you!"
Lt. Surge roared furiously. He had initially aimed to eliminate Satoshi , who was the greater threat, but Ash had interfered with his plans over and over again. First with Politoed. Then Pikachu.
He couldn't take it anymore. In his eyes, Ash wasn't just a nuisance—he was an obstacle. This wasn't a structured gym battle. It was a death match, and in a life-and-death battle, who said you couldn't attack the Trainer?
Lt. Surge's Magneton didn't even bother finishing its initial targets. It changed direction and rushed straight for Ash.
"Even if I lose this battle, I'll take you down with me!" he bellowed.
Ash narrowed his eyes. His body trembled from the shock he'd received earlier, but he still laughed. "Ha! You think I'm the easiest target just because I'm the smallest?!"
While he might've been the weakest Trainer on the field relative to Satoshi and Surge, that didn't mean he was weak overall. On this entire cruise ship, how many people could say they were stronger than him?
"Ivysaur! Let's show him what we're made of! Vine Whip!!"
Ivysaur, still in excellent condition after staying on the sidelines to assist, roared. Vines lashed out, wrapping tightly around Magneton. It wasn't an offensive move—it was a restraint!
"Satoshi ! Now!"
"Riolu! Blaze Kick! Charizard! Flare Blitz!"
Even Riolu, usually calm and precise, roared in unison with Satoshi. It leapt high into the air, performed a rapid spin, and slammed a fiery kick straight into Magneton.
The impact sent sparks and heat across the deck. Riolu immediately flipped back.
Then, with flames roaring around him, Charizard dove in like a meteor. Flare Blitz connected solidly, engulfing Magneton in an inferno.
Magneton spasmed violently, its body smoking and jolting from the super-effective hits. After a few jerks in midair, it lost all control and crashed onto the deck with a dull metallic clang.
"Four Pokémon have defeated Magneton. Experience shared!"
"Ding! Charizard gained experience! Level +1! Reached Lv40!"
"Ding! Riolu gained experience! Level +1! Reached Lv40!"
The experience payout was smaller this time due to sharing, and Magneton was only slightly higher in level. But that was enough—Satoshi 's Pokémon had leveled again. That was all that mattered.
Before they could catch their breath, however, Lt. Surge tossed another Poké Ball.
"Come out—Manectric!!"
This was the last one.
"It was meant to be a distraction while I finished off the runt. The plan didn't go perfectly, but this goal is good enough," Surge muttered, his tone much calmer now.
Confidence returned to his face.
This Manectric wasn't just a reserve. It wasn't second-tier. This was Surge's top-tier main Pokémon. His true ace.
Name: Manectric
Level: 50 (Gym Leader Tier)
The Manectric that appeared was slightly larger than average, exuding a chilling aura of power. It didn't growl, didn't pose. It simply stood, completely composed.
Its very presence generated a thundercloud overhead. The static in the air thickened, visible bolts of electricity arcing around its body as the storm built up above it.
Just its presence alone turned the battlefield into a domain of electricity.
"Electabuzz, return!"
Surge didn't launch an immediate attack. He knew better than to fight disjointedly again. If he allowed Satoshi and Ash to separate his team like before, he would fall victim to another flurry of combo attacks.
Electabuzz, sensing the command, let out a quick Discharge to force Greninja and Sceptile back, then jumped away from the battle zone and returned to Surge's side.
Satoshi 's gaze sharpened. "No way I'm letting that thing regroup. I still have a plan to deal with Manectric—but if Electabuzz joins back in, we're in real trouble."
Sceptile and Greninja immediately surged forward, intent on stopping Electabuzz's retreat.
"Manectric, Thunder!!"
The air split open before Surge's voice even finished. From the swirling thundercloud, a bolt of lightning the size of a tree trunk blasted downward.
Greninja and Sceptile were forced to dodge, narrowly avoiding the crackling beam.
With their path cleared, Electabuzz rejoined Surge.
Now, Surge's two strongest Pokémon were together.
Satoshi grimaced. He still had his plan—but executing it would now be twice as hard.
Just then, Ash stepped forward and grinned. "Don't worry, Satoshi . Leave the Manectric to you. I'll take the weak one!"
"Huh?"
Ash winked. "You're stronger than me, right? So it's only fair you take the big guy!"
Before Satoshi could respond, Ash ordered, "Ivysaur, Take Down!"
Ivysaur charged and rammed Electabuzz, knocking it into the hole in the deck from earlier.
Ash didn't hesitate. He followed Ivysaur and Pikachu down the same hole.
End of the Chapter.
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