In the storyline, after Ash boarded the ship using the ticket given by the Team Rocket trio, he entered the ship's grand hall and ended up dueling a gentleman while exchanging Pokémon.
But when Nozomi squeezed into the crowd, what he saw was not what he had expected.
In the center of the ring formed by the crowd, Ash was battling someone.
Yet the opponent was not the middle-aged gentleman Nozomi had imagined—but Gary Oak!
"What's going on? Since when did Gary board this ship?"
Seeing Gary's arrogant expression and the cheering squad behind him, Nozomi was utterly puzzled.
He was fairly certain that in the original storyline, Gary should not have been aboard the S.S. Anne. So why had the plot changed so suddenly?
In the center ring, Gary and Ash were locked in an intense battle.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu let loose a bolt of lightning from its cheeks, aiming at Growlithe.
"Growlithe, Quick Attack, then Ember!"
Growlithe darted on all fours to evade Pikachu's strike, then spat a spray of Ember straight at Pikachu.
Pikachu immediately dodged, but Gary had already anticipated such a reaction. He instantly commanded Growlithe to unleash another Ember directed at Pikachu's intended dodge direction.
Since Pikachu was midair and could not dodge again in time, it was struck squarely.
The tiny embers exploded. Though not tremendously powerful, they were enough to alter Pikachu's falling trajectory, sending it spiraling down from the sky.
"Pika…chu!"
Pikachu landed with scratches and bore a pained expression.
Growlithe vs. Pikachu: Growlithe had the upper hand.
"Still the same, Ash. After all this time, you haven't gotten any stronger," Gary said nonchalantly while continuing to command Growlithe to assail Pikachu. He felt pleasure in the upper hand.
Gary sensed that today might be his lucky day.
He originally boarded the S.S. Anne to find Nozomi, but along the way ran into two strangers who handed him and his support squad each a ticket to S.S. Anne. Once aboard, he recognized Ash as one of his old rivals—and now he was dominating the match, blotting out the humiliation of earlier being humiliated by Nozomi.
"This feels amazing! I have to remember this day when I go back," Gary thought—today was truly his lucky day.
"Ash, you haven't changed at all," he taunted.
Ash burned with anger, wanting to retort, but Growlithe's assault left Pikachu continually on the defensive. He had to focus his attention on directing Pikachu just to maintain the ebb and flow of the battle.
"That Growlithe is so strong," one trainer nearby admired.
"Yeah—and Growlithe is pretty rare. I really want one!" another trainer murmured enviously, wishing it were theirs.
Most of the surrounding trainers held similar views.
To them, the outcome seemed inevitable. Pikachu had failed to break through Growlithe before being struck, and now injured, it was over—Growlithe had it in the bag. The crowd of trainers and passersby had already started cheering for Gary's Growlithe.
Team Rocket, who had gathered nearby, saw that it was only a trainer duel and dispersed again.
Nozomi, seeing Team Rocket peel off, glanced at Ash's determined but strained face and the triumphant grin on Gary's face, and felt he should correct Gary's inflated ego.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack! Aim at Growlithe's right side!"
Nozomi used telepathic speech to issue a command to Pikachu.
"Pika ?!"
Pikachu was utterly confused, turning its head and looking around, failing to see Nozomi.
"It's me—Nozomi. I'm communicating with you via Psychic. If you want to win, do as I say," Nozomi relayed mentally to Pikachu.
"Pika-chu." Though Pikachu didn't truly understand the concept of telepathy, Nozomi's voice was deeply imprinted in its memory—and it sounded like Nozomi's voice.
During the Viridian Forest episode, it was Nozomi who had rescued it and Ash.
Trusting in that recollection—and in Nozomi's promise of victory—Pikachu immediately chose to believe him.
"Pika—!"
Pikachu let out a powerful cry. Its limbs propelled it forward like a streak of yellow lightning toward Growlithe's right side.
"Pikachu?!"
Ash was stunned, not expecting Pikachu to suddenly go on the offensive on its own.
Gary—who always responded to Ash's commands—was likewise dumbfounded. "What's happening? Why is Pikachu suddenly acting independently?"
But there was no time for deeper thought; he shouted, "Growlithe! Dodge now!"
Growlithe leapt aside.
Nozomi curved a faint smirk. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Aim for the ground in front of Growlithe!"
Though Pikachu didn't fully understand the reasoning, it obeyed.
"Pika—!"
Without noticeable charge-up, Pikachu instantly released Thunderbolt at the ground before Growlithe.
"What is this doing?"
"Pikachu's Thunderbolt missed its mark!"
A group of trainers voiced their confusion.
Ash was still in shock, thinking Pikachu was trying to fight solo—and he decided to hand over control.
Gary, on the other hand, was elated that Pikachu had missed. If it had hit, Growlithe would be in danger. "Growlithe, stop it!"
But would Nozomi make such a blatant error? Of course not.
The reason he didn't tell Pikachu to strike directly at Growlithe was that Growlithe's speed and agility would likely let it evade a falling Thunderbolt. Instead, Nozomi targeted an offset point because of the hall's floor.
The grand banquet hall's floor was polished marble—smooth and nonconductive. When Thunderbolt struck it, countless microcurrents sparked out.
Though Growlithe managed to halt in time, some stray currents still arced into its body.
Golden electricity coursed over Growlithe's form, momentarily stiffening it.
"Now! Use Thunderbolt on Growlithe!"
In their telepathic link, Nozomi urged Pikachu.
Actually, Pikachu was already preparing to attack!"Pikachu—!"
Pikachu curled its body and unleashed a full-powered Thunderbolt.
The lightning struck Growlithe, which froze under a brief paralysis and could barely move!
Crackling—Thunderbolt engulfed Growlithe. The Pokémon was drowned in electrical currents.
A faint cry signaled Growlithe's numbness in the current.
Everyone stood in stunned silence, staring at the scene.