Ep 38. Navel Maneuvers
As Ash and his friends continue their journey towards the next gym, they stumble upon an island that seems to have a gym of its own. Intrigued, they decide to check it out, only to find that the gym leader is missing. The island's only other inhabitant, a young girl named Danny, informs them that the gym leader has gone to compete in a naval competition, so Ash and his friends decide to head there to find him.
Once they arrive at the competition, they meet up with Misty's sisters, who are also competing. The competition consists of a series of naval battles between various trainers, and the gym leader they're looking for is nowhere to be found. However, they do run into a familiar face - Jesse and James from Team Rocket are also competing in the competition!
As the battles continue, Ash and his friends begin to suspect that something fishy is going on with Team Rocket's battles. They seem to be throwing them on purpose, but for what reason? Meanwhile, Danny reveals that the gym leader's ship has been sabotaged and left stranded at sea. Ash and his friends decide to set out to find him and bring him back before it's too late.
Their search leads them to a deserted island, where they find the gym leader alone and injured. With his help, they're able to repair his ship and head back to the competition in time for the final battle. But even with their friend and ally back by their side, Ash and his friends face a tough challenge.
The final battle is against Team Rocket, who have made it to the final round of the competition. It's a fierce battle at sea, with both sides pulling out all the stops. As the tide turns in favor of our heroes, they're able to corner Team Rocket and make them reveal their true intentions - they were sabotaging their battles in order to lull everyone into a false sense of security so they could steal the prize money!
With their plan foiled and their cover blown, Team Rocket tries to make a break for it. But Ash and his friends aren't about to let them get away that easily. In a thrilling showdown on the high seas, they're able to capture Team Rocket and turn them over to the authorities.
In the end, the gym leader thanks Ash and his friends for their help and invites them to come back and challenge his gym anytime. With another adventure under their belts, Ash and his friends set sail once again towards their next destination.
