"What's next? Are we going to dive into the water?" Ash asked.
Brock gently swirled the seawater with his hand and said with concern, "But if we dive and swim for a long time only to find a dead end, or a hatch that won't open, we'll be in trouble."
"In a situation like this, of course, we must rely on Pokémon!" Misty said, taking out her Poké Ball and releasing a Goldeen into the water. "Goldeen, go check things out and find an escape route!"
Goldeen nodded, dove into the water, and disappeared in an instant.
However, a long time passed, and it didn't return.
"I guess that didn't work?"
Misty frowned. Just as she was thinking of going down to investigate herself, the water's surface suddenly began to ripple.
After a moment, as the water churned, the first thing to emerge was a head with disheveled hair, like that of a water ghost!
Since everyone was paying close attention, they got a huge fright. Misty let out a scream and hid behind Natsui, trembling as she gripped the edge of his clothes.
Compared to the girls, Natsui was a bit braver. He forced himself to remain calm, and as the head continued to emerge, he discovered it was the Team Rocket trio, piled on top of each other, being pushed out of the water by Goldeen.
"Don't be scared, it's Team Rocket."
Natsui patted Misty on the shoulder, and when she saw that it was indeed the Team Rocket trio, she let out a sigh of relief.
"What the heck! What are they doing in the water?"
Jessie, James, and Meowth lay on the ground, each spitting out a bit of seawater. They were on the verge of collapse with their eyes rolled back, but upon hearing Misty's voice, they instantly regained their energy and jumped to their feet.
Jessie shouted, "Speak of the devils! So it was you!?"
Immediately, tension grew between the two sides. Everyone took out their Poké Balls. Jessie and James released Arbok and Koffing, while Ash and Brock sent out Squirtle and Geodude.
"Hey, hey!" Misty got between them, trying to keep the situation from escalating. "Let's get something straight, my Goldeen just saved you! Besides, look around you, this is no time to fight! If we don't find a way to escape soon, we'll all die here!"
Despite her words, Ash, Brock, and the Team Rocket trio continued to glare at each other with hostility, with no one willing to back down.
At that moment, James suddenly saw Natsui off to the side and, pointing at him, said in surprise, "Ah! It's you! Thank you so much for before, if it weren't for you, that Magikarp salesman would have scammed me!"
"You fool, we're supposed to be the bad guys! Why are you thanking him!" Jessie gave James a hard smack on the head and then asked, confused, "But, by the way, who is he?"
James blushed and didn't dare tell the truth. If Jessie found out he had almost spent both of their salaries on a Magikarp that only knew how to splash, she would surely kill him with her own hands.
Natsui intervened to calm things down, "We should stop. Misty is right, we really don't have much time left!"
With Natsui's mediation, both sides finally withdrew their Pokémon.
After asking them, Natsui and the others learned that the human pair and cat from Team Rocket had also failed to abandon the S.S. Anne in time. After the ship capsized, in their desperation to escape, they broke the hull, causing seawater to flood the compartment and sweep them away with the current.
If Goldeen hadn't passed by there by chance, the trio would likely have already become wandering souls under the sea.
"Hmph, fine," Jessie said arrogantly with her hands on her hips. "But don't get comfortable, this is just a temporary truce. It doesn't mean we'll leave you alone in the future!"
"Hey…" Natsui asked tentatively, "You don't have any Water-type Pokémon, do you? We're going to have to exit through the sea in a moment, do you really think it's a good idea to act so arrogantly?"
"Uh…"
The faces of the Team Rocket trio changed. Apparently, they had just realized the problem. Their attitude did a one-eighty, and they all bowed to apologize.
"Ah! We're sorry, that was our mistake!"
Natsui smiled and shook his head. No matter how heavy the atmosphere was, as long as they were around, everything seemed to become comical and cheerful.
With the Team Rocket issue settled, they could finally discuss a plan in peace.
Brock rubbed his chin and asked, "So now, how exactly are we going to get out of here?"
"Leave it to me," Misty said, puffing out her chest. "I once made a model of the S.S. Anne, so I know its structure very well. Since the path below is blocked, we'll have to go up. I remember that the ship's bottom, below the engine room, is thinner. If we make a hole there, we can escape!"
Ash and the others nodded in agreement. Only Natsui expressed an objection.
"We can't make a hole in the ship's bottom!"
"Huh?" Misty asked, confused, "Why not?"
Natsui explained, "If we break through the ship's bottom, water will pour in from above, and the pressure will be immense, making it very difficult to swim against the current. Besides, breaking the hull will unbalance the air pressure, and seawater will quickly fill the entire cruise ship. If we don't manage to get out through the bottom, there won't be time to try another method."
Misty suddenly understood, "I see, so, do you have any ideas?"
Natsui continued, "Since the lower part is already completely flooded, I think we should have the Water-type Pokémon break through one of the walls in the submerged area and swim us out! The water pressure we'd face would be much lower!"
"But that way…" Misty said hesitantly, "it will surely take longer than going out the top. I doubt we can hold our breath that long."
"Don't worry about that. I just looked out the window. Although the ship sank, the seabed in this area is relatively high. We're actually not that far from the surface."
Saying this, Natsui pointed to the water at their feet.
"Besides, look, what's that!"
Everyone looked down and, in the direction Natsui was pointing, they saw several plastic bottles floating!
After their contents were drunk, these bottles filled with air and, somehow, had floated all the way here!
Natsui said, "If we hold the bottles with our mouths, even if it's for one extra breath, we can last a few more minutes than normal. And since the water here isn't deep, there's no need to worry about the pressure crushing them!"
If anyone else had raised this objection, Misty might have stuck to her own opinion, but since it was Natsui who spoke, she became his biggest supporter.
As for the others, they looked at each other, undecided. But since Misty was supporting Natsui, they had nothing more to discuss.
"Alright, let's do it that way then!"
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