Third POV
The day of the semifinals had finally arrived.
Grey woke up early in the morning before most of the ship had even become active. The soft sound of waves crashing against the hull echoed outside as pale sunlight slowly spread across the ocean. For a few moments, he simply sat on his bed quietly, letting the reality settle in.
Today would decide everything.
He got up from his bed, brushed his teeth, took a bath, and then headed toward the dining hall to eat breakfast. A few trainers were already awake like him, some of them stretching nervously while others discussed yesterday's matches. When they noticed Grey entering, several of them greeted him.
"Good luck for today!"
"You better make the finals, Grey!"
"Your match with Ryu yesterday was insane!"
Grey awkwardly nodded at the attention and quietly thanked them before grabbing his breakfast. Even now, he still was not fully used to people approaching him so casually. A few weeks ago, most trainers on this ship would not even have noticed him. Now he was one of the final four trainers left in the entire tournament.
After finishing breakfast, Grey returned to his room carrying some extra food with him. He mixed it together with the Pokémon food he had stored and called out his team.
Axew, Shellder, Persian, and Exeggcute appeared one after another.
The room quickly became livelier as the Pokémon started eating. Axew especially looked proud of itself after yesterday's battle, though the dragon still had bandages wrapped around parts of its body from the injuries it suffered against Shellgon and Druddigon.
Grey sat on the edge of his bed while watching them eat and began thinking carefully about today's match.
Ash's team was troublesome.
Unlike Ryu, who specialized heavily into dragon types, Ash used a very diverse lineup. From what Grey knew, Ash currently had Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. It was a surprisingly balanced team for someone who originally looked reckless at first glance.
He had a strong Fire-Water-Grass core.
That alone made revenge kill extremely difficult.
If Grey used Shellder recklessly, Pikachu could threaten it badly. But if he started with Exeggcute and Ash opened with Charmander or Pidgeotto, things could also spiral quickly. Persian was versatile but too valuable to risk early unless necessary.
Grey quietly thought through different combinations again and again.
Eventually, after a long while, he made his decision.
Shellder.
It was still the safest lead.
Shellder could quickly set up Spikes, which would become extremely annoying for Ash's team throughout the match. Even if Ash started with Bulbasaur, Shellder's Ice attacks would pressure it heavily. Pikachu was definitely dangerous, but Grey believed Shellder could at least survive long enough to create momentum with Counter Shield and ranged pressure.
Besides, Shellder had been performing incredibly well throughout the tournament.
Grey looked at the giant clam Pokémon and lightly smiled.
"Looks like I'm counting on you first again."
Shellder proudly puffed out icy mist in response.
A few minutes later, Grey's watch vibrated.
A notification appeared.
"Semifinal Match 1 will begin in 30 minutes. Participants are requested to report to the arena."
Grey took a slow breath after reading it.
"It's time."
He returned his Pokémon, grabbed his jacket, and left the room.
The arena stands were completely packed within those thirty minutes.
Unlike before, this was no longer simply another tournament round. These were the semifinals. Only four trainers remained now, and everyone wanted to witness who would make it to the finals.
Most of the eliminated trainers had returned to watch the matches. Conversations echoed loudly across the arena as people debated who would win.
Some supported Grey after his victory against Ryu.
Others believed Ash's unpredictability would carry him through.
Brock and Misty were also sitting in the stands cheering for Ash, while the regional champions observed quietly from the VIP section above.
The atmosphere felt far heavier than the previous rounds.
Eventually, the referee stepped onto the battlefield and raised his microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The crowd gradually quieted down.
"Welcome to the semifinals of the S.S. Anne Junior Tournament!"
Cheers erupted instantly.
"From the right side of the arena, representing Celadon City, the trainer who defeated Ryu Blackthorn yesterday... Grey Mallory!"
Grey walked into the arena as the crowd applauded loudly.
"And from the left side, representing Pallet Town... Ash Ketchum!"
Ash entered from the opposite side with far more energy, waving enthusiastically toward the crowd while Pikachu cheered from the stands beside Misty and Brock.
Both trainers soon stood opposite each other on the battlefield.
Grey calmly adjusted his gloves while Ash grinned excitedly.
"This is gonna be awesome!"
Grey gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
The referee then began explaining the rules.
"This will be a three-on-three battle! No substitutions allowed! The match ends when both Pokémon on one side are unable to battle!"
Both trainers nodded.
The referee raised his hand.
"Trainers... prepare your Pokémon!"
Poké Balls appeared in both trainers' hands.
"3..."
The arena quieted.
"2..."
Both trainers focused completely.
"1... Begin!"
"Come out, Shellder!" Grey called out.
"I choose you, Kingler!" Ash shouted.
Grey saw the Kingler and his mind went blank for a second.
He stared at the massive crab Pokémon standing proudly on Ash's side of the field, genuinely shocked for the first time since the battle had started.
Why does Ash have that Pokémon?
It made no sense to him initially.
Then suddenly the memory clicked in his head.
Ash had caught a Krabby before Vermilion City in the anime and had sent it to Professor Oak's lab because he already had six Pokémon at the time.
Grey's eyes widened slightly.
Damn it... he evolved it? Why? Damn protagonist plot, Grey thought internally with mild irritation.
The Kingler in front of him was enormous, easily comparable to Shellder in sheer size, and unlike the inexperienced Krabby from the anime, this one clearly looked properly trained.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Ash was thinking about something entirely different.
He was trying to figure out how to handle Grey's Shellder.
That thing is huge...
Honestly, Ash had not expected Shellder to almost rival Kingler in size. Looking at the giant clam Pokémon made him realize this would not be an easy fight at all.
Still, he was glad he could finally use Kingler here.
If he was being honest, he had to thank Misty a lot for helping him train this Pokémon.
Flashback
After losing to Surge and earning the Thunder Badge, Ash had started preparing seriously for the S.S. Anne tournament. Surge had warned him personally that the competition would be filled with strong trainers.
Ash knew Red, Blue, and Grey would all be participating.
For once, he put aside his pride and actually asked Brock and Misty to help train his Pokémon.
Training with Misty was especially annoying.
She complained about him constantly.
"You're terrible at using Water-types."
"Why are you commanding Krabby like it's a Fighting-type?"
"You can't just tell it to hit harder every time!"
Ash got irritated hearing it repeatedly, but if he had to admit one thing, it was that Misty genuinely knew Water Pokémon extremely well. Because of that, she ended up helping train Ash's only Water-type at the time, Krabby.
One afternoon, Ash had Krabby spar against Misty's Squirtle.
The result was brutal.
Squirtle effortlessly outmaneuvered the poor crab Pokémon and kept beating it down while Misty continued criticizing Ash's commands from the sidelines.
Then suddenly, mid battle, it happened.
Krabby began glowing.
Its body rapidly expanded as its claws grew massive.
Right there in the middle of the fight, Krabby evolved into Kingler.
The newly evolved Pokémon immediately turned the battle around and defeated Squirtle with overwhelming power.
Misty's eyes practically sparkled seeing the evolved Pokémon.
"A strong Kingler..." she muttered in excitement.
Ash immediately got cocky after the win.
"Hah! See that? Kingler's awesome!"
Misty rolled her eyes before replying, "You want a rematch after your crab heals up?"
Ash instantly agreed, thinking it would be another easy victory.
Instead, Misty absolutely demolished Kingler using her Gyarados.
Ash's confidence shattered instantly.
The difference in experience between the two Water-types was overwhelming.
After getting humbled, Ash swallowed his pride again and asked Misty to help him properly train Kingler to become stronger.
Surprisingly, Misty agreed.
After all, her dream was to become a Water Pokémon Master. Training different kinds of Water Pokémon would only bring her closer to that goal.
Narrator's POV
One major change in this timeline was Misty herself.
Unlike the anime version alone, this Misty was influenced slightly by both her anime and manga counterparts. Because of that, she was far more serious early on about becoming a true Water Pokémon Master.
As a result, she obtained and tamed Gyarados much earlier in the story before even properly leaving on the journey with Ash.
This change also affected the Squirtle Squad incident.
In this timeline, Misty was actually the one most eager to catch a Squirtle because she recognized how valuable the species was as a Water-type Pokémon. During the Team Rocket attack, instead of being captured like in canon, she fought back aggressively using Gyarados.
Her Gyarados played a massive role in stopping the fire during the episode as well.
Because of that, the Squirtle Squad leader ended up respecting Misty more and joined her team instead of Ash's.
This single change created another ripple effect.
When Ash later caught Krabby, he only had five Pokémon on hand rather than six. Since Misty had Squirtle instead, Ash never needed to send Krabby to Professor Oak's lab.
Which meant Krabby stayed with Ash.
And eventually...
It became the Kingler now standing on the battlefield against Grey.
POV end
Third POV
Grey shook his head lightly, forcing those pessimistic thoughts out of his mind.
Now was not the time for that.
Kingler being here was surprising, but standing around wondering about protagonist luck was not going to help him win this match. He quickly focused himself again and looked toward the battlefield.
"Shellder, set up Spikes!"
Immediately, sharp icy spikes spread across Ash's side of the field.
Ash decided to go on the offensive instantly.
"Kingler, use Crabhammer!"
Kingler charged forward heavily, its massive claw glowing with watery energy as it rushed toward Shellder. Despite its size, it moved surprisingly fast.
"Counter Shield Water!" Grey ordered.
Shellder rapidly spun while spraying water around itself, creating a rotating defensive layer. Kingler's Crabhammer smashed into the spinning water shield, but the rotating force partially redirected the attack and pushed the giant crab backward slightly, making it skid across the battlefield.
Grey did not waste the momentum.
"Aurora Beam!"
Ash said "Kingler use Bubble Beam!"
Both Pokémon fired their attacks at nearly the same time.
The icy rainbow beam collided with the stream of bubbles directly in the center of the field. The bubbles instantly began freezing over one after another before bursting apart midair. In the end, both attacks canceled each other out completely.
Grey narrowed his eyes slightly.
Kingler was stronger than he expected.
"Shellder, set up another layer of Spikes!"
More spikes spread across the field.
Ash frowned seeing that.
Enough setup.
"Kingler, Hyper Beam!"
The entire crowd went silent for a second.
Orange-yellow energy rapidly gathered inside Kingler's giant claw before exploding outward into a massive beam attack.
A lot of spectators were stunned.
"Kingler can use Hyper Beam?!"
Even Ash himself had been shocked when Kingler learned the move right after evolving. He still did not fully understand how it happened, but honestly, if the move helped him win, he was not going to question it.
Grey's eyes sharpened seeing the massive beam approach.
"Protect!"
A green barrier instantly appeared in front of Shellder.
The Hyper Beam slammed into it violently.
The barrier trembled heavily under the pressure as cracks slowly started forming across the surface near the end of the attack. However, despite the overwhelming power, the barrier held.
When the beam finally disappeared, the Protect remained intact.
Ash looked genuinely surprised.
"He blocked that?!"
Grey immediately retaliated.
"Icicle Spear!"
Multiple sharp ice spears were launched rapidly toward Kingler.
But instead of dodging, Kingler started batting them away with its massive claws. One after another, the icicles shattered apart before reaching it.
Grey could tell Kingler was still taking minor damage from the impacts, but not enough.
Then Grey made his move.
"Shellder, launch yourself with Water Gun, then spin and use Counter Shield Ice!"
Shellder fired Water Gun downward, propelling itself forward like a rocket. Mid-flight, it began spinning rapidly while releasing icy winds around itself.
The giant spinning ice shell hurtled toward Kingler.
Ash reacted quickly.
"Kingler, spin counterclockwise with Water Gun!"
Kingler rapidly spun in the opposite direction while spraying water around itself, creating its own rotating water shield.
The crowd stared as both spinning Pokémon rushed toward each other.
The moment the two Counter Shields collided, something strange happened.
Because both Pokémon were spinning in opposite directions, the rotations began disrupting each other like two Beyblades crashing head-on. The spinning force canceled itself out.
The water and ice around both Pokémon rapidly dissipated.
Grey's eyes widened slightly.
Before he could order another attack, Kingler suddenly slammed a massive Crabhammer directly onto Shellder, smashing it into the ground with tremendous force.
Boom!
The battlefield cracked slightly beneath the impact.
"Kingler, keep going!" Ash shouted.
Kingler immediately began barraging Shellder with repeated Crabhammer strikes.
Grey reacted quickly.
"Use Icicle Spear!"
Even while pinned, Shellder managed to fire ice spears upward desperately. Kingler was forced to release one claw from the pinning position to swat away the attacks, giving Shellder just enough room.
"Water Gun! Create distance!"
Shellder blasted itself backward and escaped.
Grey's expression became serious seeing Shellder wobbling slightly afterward.
That barrage had hurt badly.
This was bad.
Not only had Ash figured out a way to counter Counter Shield, but close combat, normally Shellder's strongest area, had now become dangerous because Kingler was even better at it physically.
Grey quickly analyzed the situation further.
Long range was not good either.
Kingler could simply swat away Icicle Spears with its giant claws. Aurora Beam kept getting canceled out by Bubble Beam.
Both close range and long range were becoming dead ends.
Grey clicked his tongue internally.
Then he made a decision.
"Shellder, Counter Shield offense again!"
Shellder trusted Grey completely and immediately obeyed despite its injuries.
Ash shouted back, "Kingler, same thing!"
Both Pokémon rushed toward each other while spinning once more.
But right before they collided, Grey suddenly changed tactics.
"Icicle Spear while spinning!"
While maintaining the Counter Shield, Shellder fired Icicle Spears outward in all directions.
Kingler, already committed to spinning, could not properly use its claws to block every spear this time. Several icicles struck its body directly.
The attacks themselves were partially weakened by Kingler's Counter Shield, but they still damaged and destabilized it.
Then the two Counter Shields collided.
This time, because Kingler's shield had weakened from tanking the Icicle Spears, Shellder's overpowered it during the clash.
Shellder smashed directly into Kingler.
But at the same moment, Kingler forcefully brought down a Crabhammer onto Shellder even while being hit.
Both Pokémon were thrown apart.
Shellder stopped spinning completely and looked visibly wobbly now.
Grey immediately tried to capitalize.
"Aurora Beam!"
"Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted back.
Both beams fired simultaneously.
The Aurora Beam collided with Hyper Beam for a moment before the massive golden beam completely overpowered it and slammed directly into Shellder.
The giant clam Pokémon crashed onto the battlefield unconscious.
The referee raised his flag.
"Shellder is unable to battle!"
Grey quietly recalled Shellder.
"You did well."
Then he immediately threw his next Poké Ball.
"Go, Exeggcute!"
The six eggs appeared onto the battlefield.
Ash instinctively almost ordered an attack before realizing something important.
Hyper Beam recharge time.
"Kingler, block whatever it throws with your claws!"
But Grey had no intention of attacking from range.
"Giga Drain!"
Suddenly, Exeggcute sped forward using Confusion to levitate itself rapidly toward Kingler.
Ash's eyes widened.
At close range, green energy erupted from Exeggcute and connected directly to Kingler.
"Kingler, Bubble Beam!"
Kingler tried firing the attack, but Exeggcute had already begun draining massive amounts of its stamina and health at point-blank range.
The giant crab staggered weakly.
Then collapsed.
The referee immediately announced, "Kingler is unable to battle! The score is now one Pokémon each!"
Ash quickly recalled Kingler before gripping his next Poké Ball seriously.
Then he released his second Pokémon.
Which was...
Author's Note: Revenge kill is a competitive term for quick sweep with type advantage of sorts or mostly done with sucker punch as well . That said how did u guys like the twist.
Also I am thinking of writing interlude chapters after this arc for other characters at times as well.