Chapter 29: The Sinking of the Cruise Ship

"Damn it!" Looker slammed his fist hard against the railing of the corridor. "He actually managed to get away!"

Before Xia You could speak, Looker explained on his own: "This Lambda is the high-ranking Team Rocket officer I’ve been tracking. I thought I would capture him today and cut off one of Team Rocket’s key assets, but to think it would all fall apart at the very last moment!"

"You’ve already done an incredible job stopping this heist," Xia You comforted him, though his tone suddenly shifted. "But now is not the time for self-pity. The most urgent task is to deal with those remaining low-level Team Rocket grunts below!"

"You're right," Looker nodded solemnly. "Let's move, quickly!"

A gentle breeze blew by, and the once-calm sea began to churn with ripples. Looking out into the distance, one could see that the sky had changed color; a thick, massive wall of dark clouds was slowly encroaching upon the S.S. Anne.

Down in the main lobby, thanks to the collective efforts of the crowd, the Team Rocket members were quickly defeated. They scattered in all directions, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye. Looker, feeling powerless to stop them all on his own, could only watch as they escaped. Since he couldn't bring so many criminals to justice single-handedly, he exchanged contact information with Xia You and chose to depart quietly.

Suddenly, a massive wave slammed into the ship. The vessel lurched violently, catching the passengers off guard and sending them stumbling backward. Xia You’s reflexes were sharp; he gripped a nearby table, steadying himself just before a petite figure collided with his chest.

It was Misty!

Xia You quickly wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"

Misty’s face flushed slightly as she looked up at him and gave a soft shake of her head.

Buffeted by the waves, the S.S. Anne rocked from side to side. In such severe weather, the ship's stabilizers were of little use. People rushed to the windows, only to see a sky as dark as night, lit only by flashes of lightning and rolling thunder.

"It’s a storm!" someone shouted, sparking immediate panic.

Brock helped Misty up and sighed, "With weather this severe, there is no way this ship can turn back."

On the other side of the lobby, the captain—who had been missing since the start of the incident—was suddenly dragged out by the crowd. Though his face was etched with panic, he forced a facade of calm: "...By the time I noticed, the ship was already surrounded by the storm. But please, rest assured, the S.S. Anne has been thoroughly tested and is of massive tonnage. I guarantee it will absolutely not sink!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another massive wave struck the ship. Everyone was thrown to the ground, and as they scrambled to get back up, they saw the captain already sprinting toward the emergency exit, climbing into a lifeboat!

"Everyone!" the captain shouted from the lifeboat to the stunned crowd, repeating his earlier words. "I guarantee this ship will never sink! Please stay here and keep calm!"

However, seeing the captain himself boarding a lifeboat, no one believed him anymore. They scrambled toward the lifeboats in a desperate frenzy. Amidst the chaos, the screams of women, the shouts of men, and the wails of children erupted, creating a scene of absolute pandemonium.

"We should go, too," Xia You signaled to Misty and Brock. He was about to set off when he realized Ash was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, where’s Ash?"

Misty and Brock searched frantically until they finally spotted Ash in a corner, standing before a machine.

"There he is!"

When Xia You and the others reached him, they saw him in the middle of a Pokémon trade at the machine with the man in the suit.

So he finally figured it out, then...

As the man in the suit operated the machine, he noticed Xia You and looked surprised. "It’s you again!? In such a short time, your Ralts has already evolved into a Kirlia. You must be much stronger than before, surely!?"

Xia You nodded politely without saying much.

At that moment, Ash retrieved the Poké Ball containing his Butterfree. Before he could even grip it tightly, the S.S. Anne lurched again. The ball slipped from his hand, rolling away into a nearby corridor.

"Butterfree!"

Ash cried out and gave chase. His companions, Misty and Brock, followed closely behind out of concern. Xia You glanced back at the lifeboats; if they wanted to leave safely, now was the best time.

But logically speaking, with waves this large, would even the lifeboats be safe?

Shaking his head, he chose not to leave alone and instead followed Misty and Brock into the corridor.

After running for several dozen paces, he caught up with Ash. Just as Ash picked up his Poké Ball and was about to stand, an unprecedented, colossal force swept through the S.S. Anne. In the next second, Xia You felt the world spin; he was lifted into the air and slammed hard against the wall.

It was a brutal impact. It took a long time for him to regain his senses, and when he finally stood up with Kirlia’s help, he realized the entire ship had capsized.

He could clearly feel the vessel sinking. Through the occasional groaning of metal, he could hear the sound of water rushing into the ship.

It really did sink...

Nearby, Ash and the others were also dazed and battered. Xia You helped them regain their footing, and as the reality of the situation dawned on them, their expressions turned pale.

With another shudder, the S.S. Anne seemed to have hit the seabed, coming to a complete stop. The corridor lights were still flickering, indicating that the power system hadn't failed yet.

"What do we do now?" Ash pressed his face against the window, his voice full of shock. "The whole ship is at the bottom of the sea!"

"Stay calm," Xia You said, trying to steady his emotions. "We need to find a way out immediately. We have to escape before the ship is completely flooded!"

Fortunately, because of the large pockets of air trapped inside, the water pressure wouldn't fill the ship instantly, which gave them a window of time.

They rushed down the corridor. However, because the ship had flipped, "down" had become "up," and "up" had become "down." Many paths were blocked, and with the rising water, moving forward became increasingly difficult.

When they finally reached the stairwell, they stopped in their tracks, looking down at the stairs completely submerged in water, with nowhere left to go.