As the Poké Balls opened, Misty sent out her Goldeen and Starmie, while Xia You and Ash each released their Squirtle. The four Pokémon dived underwater and used Tackle together on the nearest ship window.
Their repeated blows gradually cracked the window, finally creating a hole large enough for two people to pass through at once.
Since the opening was already completely submerged, no additional seawater rushed in, nor did it affect the air pressure inside the ship.
When the Pokémon returned to the group, Brock took several clotheslines from his backpack and tied everyone to the Pokémon.
"Hey, hey!" Seeing that they each had a Pokémon, Jessie cried anxiously, "What about us? We don't have any Water-type Pokémon!"
Xia You released his Magikarp.
In the anime, the Team Rocket Trio had escaped the sinking ship with this very Magikarp. Who would have thought that, even with a different owner, Magikarp still couldn't escape that fate?
James looked down at the lively, flopping Magikarp and immediately recognized where it had come from. "Ah! Isn't that the Magikarp from that crooked salesman?"
Xia You nodded lightly. "That's right. I bought it for 500."
"That bastard!" James clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "He made it sound so wonderful, but this Magikarp really was only worth 500!"
"All right," Xia You told the Team Rocket Trio. "Let this Magikarp take you out. But I'm warning you now: you can see how clueless it looks. It might not understand human speech, so if anything goes wrong along the way, I'm not responsible."
"That's right," Misty added. "And don't try any tricks, or we'll leave you behind to fend for yourselves!"
"Don't worry!" The Team Rocket Trio hastily shook their heads, looking weak and pitiful. "Why would we cause trouble in a life-or-death situation like this?"
"Exactly, meow!"
Even so, Xia You pointed at Meowth and said, "Just in case, though, Meowth, come with me."
Meowth froze. "Huh? Why, meow?"
"Idiot. Obviously, you're going to be our hostage." Xia You turned his gaze to Jessie and James. "Once we reach the surface, if you want Meowth back, take good care of my Magikarp. Otherwise, I'll be keeping Meowth as compensation."
Hearing that Xia You intended to use Meowth as a hostage, Meowth stared at him in horror, while Jessie muttered, "How come this guy acts more like a villain than we do?!"
Once everything was arranged, Xia You recalled Kirlia to the Poké Ball and tied Meowth to his waist.
Brock also picked up a few empty water bottles and handed them around.
"I don't know if this will work, but better safe than sorry. Everyone, take one."
Xia You took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of their surroundings. Unfortunate as this was, it was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience and an extremely precious memory.
Then he put his phone, Pokédex, and wallet into a resealable plastic bag. After pressing the seal firmly shut, he wrapped the bag tightly in a raincoat before putting it into his backpack.
Finally, he took out his diving goggles and put them on, then brought out his underwater breathing device.
Although he could swim, he wasn't particularly good at it. He could neither swim very fast nor open his eyes underwater like the others.
The breathing device was actually just a small, portable air cylinder. Under normal conditions, its compressed air could provide three minutes of oxygen, but he had no idea how long it would last at this depth.
Everyone else held an empty water bottle in their mouth. They looked so ridiculous that their eyes filled with amusement as they glanced at one another.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Xia You put the mouthpiece between his lips, made an "OK" sign, and entered the water with the others, one after another.
The current below the surface was relatively steady. Pulled along by Squirtle, Xia You barely had to exert himself as he was towed a considerable distance.
They swam another dozen or so meters down the corridor before finally spotting the window the Pokémon had smashed.
The group left the cruise ship in an orderly fashion, then turned and swam toward the surface.
Sunlight filtered through the seawater, casting hazy patterns of light and shadow. Visibility was poor; beyond the few meters around them, everything was pitch-black.
In the faint light, Xia You could just make out Misty's pale legs swaying right in front of his eyes, drawing his attention.
She really looks like a mermaid...
At that moment, the bottles in everyone's mouths began to buckle under the water pressure, the force of the current, or their own breathing. With no other choice, they each took a deep breath and discarded their bottles one after another.
After swimming a few more meters upward, Xia You found a moment to look back. Behind him, Jessie and James's ropes had somehow become tangled. The two kept spinning, working against Magikarp's efforts to pull them along!
Xia You hurriedly tugged the rope around his waist. Squirtle looked back, saw his gesture, and turned around to swim back to Jessie and James.
Xia You reached out with both hands to untangle the ropes, but the two were bound so tightly that no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't separate them.
Just then, a figure swept up beside him. Misty had noticed them falling behind and come back to help!
Even with her help, they couldn't untangle the ropes right away. In the end, Meowth couldn't stand watching any longer and slashed through the rope around James's waist with sharp claws, finally freeing them from their predicament.
Unfortunately, as Jessie struggled, her foot accidentally struck Misty in the lower abdomen. Pain shot through Misty, and she instinctively opened her mouth, sending streams of bubbles spilling out.
Seeing that Misty had lost her air, Xia You hurriedly pulled the breathing device from his mouth and handed it to her.
With no time to think, Misty took it, put the mouthpiece between her lips, and drew a deep breath.
That breath saved her life.
Misty returned the breathing device to Xia You and gave him a thumbs-up to show that she was all right.
Xia You nodded and gestured to Squirtle. He and Misty each took one of James's arms and, with the help of their two Pokémon, began swimming upward again.
After that mishap, the rest of the journey passed without incident. The light overhead grew brighter and brighter until, after swimming another dozen or so meters upward, they burst through the surface, finally out of danger.
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