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"Huh? What happened?"
The hull swayed, and some Trainers lost their balance. Seeing this, a member of Team Rocket quickly gave the order.
"Retreat now!"
The situation was getting out of control, and it wasn't a good idea to continue. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Rockets swiftly made their escape as the door opened, allowing them to evacuate.
Jessie and James followed the others in a hurry once they saw the situation and joined in the retreat.
Boom!!!
"Ah!!!" Before anyone could regain their footing, the ship shook violently again, causing many people to fall to the ground. Jessie and James, just about to make their exit, were also caught in the commotion.
James, distracted, fell to the ground, and a Gold Poké Ball rolled out of his pocket as the ship tilted.
"Ah!! My Golden Poké Ball!!"
Seeing this, James immediately chased after it. Even though he knew he had been scammed and the ball was worthless, he couldn't bear to part with it since he had exchanged it for his salary in advance.
"James, what are you doing!?" Jessie yelled in frustration.
Seeing James run off, Jessie and Meowth had no choice but to follow. Meanwhile, many guests at the party rushed to the windows to look outside.
The sky was dark with storm clouds, and lightning crackled through the air. Thunder rumbled, and the sea was becoming dangerously rough.
"It looks like a hurricane is coming. This could be trouble!" Brock said with concern as Ash and the others stepped outside to survey the situation.
"Then what should we do?" asked Misty, her worry evident.
Back at the party, on the other side, the captain was now surrounded by anxious passengers. After dealing with Team Rocket, they were now facing a potential storm, and his mood wasn't any better than theirs.
"Uh... haha! Everyone, stay calm, stay calm! I assure you, this ship will never sink!" the captain said awkwardly, trying to reassure the crowd, though their skeptical glares made him uneasy.
He knew it was his responsibility to check the weather before setting sail, but circumstances had forced his hand. What the passengers didn't know was that the ship's developer was connected to Team Rocket, and they had been pressuring him to depart quickly. He hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
Bang!!!
Just as the captain promised the ship wouldn't sink, a violent tremor rocked the hull.
"Captain! Bad news! After Team Rocket escaped, they sabotaged the ship's controls! We're out of control!" a staff member reported urgently.
Hearing this, the captain's face turned pale with frustration. Did his subordinate really need to shout that so loudly? Sure enough, the expressions of the surrounding passengers darkened upon hearing the news, their gazes icy as they turned toward him.
"Th-this... e-everyone, please! Don't worry! The ship won't..."
"Can you stop talking?!" Misty shouted in exasperation, unable to take any more of the captain's empty promises.
"Quit wasting time! Panicking won't help anyone. We need to find a way to escape!" Ash said firmly. Even if they blamed the captain, it wouldn't fix the situation. Staying on board was no longer an option.
Hearing Ash's words, the captain seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and the other Trainers, seeing that Ash, who had just helped fend off Team Rocket, was taking charge, calmed down for the moment.
"Let's do this! Everyone head to the deck, we'll use the lifeboats to escape!" After calming down and thinking it through, the captain instructed everyone urgently.
Hearing this, the passengers didn't waste a second and began rushing toward the deck. Ash, Misty, and Brock quickly followed.
By the time they reached the deck, it had already started raining heavily. No one paid attention to anything but escaping. The staff quickly lowered the lifeboats, and passengers hurriedly boarded them.
Meanwhile, not far from the ship, huge winds and waves were forming a massive vortex. With the ship's equipment damaged, there was no way to steer it, and even the lifeboats were at risk of being sucked in.
"Hurry, everyone!"
Despite the pounding rain and howling winds, the passengers swiftly boarded the lifeboats. Several were lowered into the sea at once. Ash, Misty, and Brock reached the deck, ready to escape with the others.
"Hey, twerps, stop right there!"
Ash turned to see Jessie, James, and Meowth charging toward them.
"You two haven't escaped yet? You guys are unbelievable!" Misty groaned, exasperated by their persistence.
"Are you kidding? We're Team Rocket! We don't leave until we achieve our goals. Now hand over Pikachu!" Jessie declared.
Team Rocket's determination was unmatched, their stubbornness incomprehensible.
"Pika!!!" Pikachu jumped in front of Ash, its cheeks sparking with electricity, ready to battle.
"Go, Ekans (Koffing)!" Jessie and James shouted, undeterred by the chaos around them.
"Ekans, use Acid!" Jessie commanded, oblivious to the looming disaster.
"Koffing, use Tackle!" James followed suit.
"Pikachu, dodge and use Iron Tail!" Ash ordered swiftly.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
Ash threw Squirtle's Poké Ball, and the Water-type Pokémon burst forth, shooting a powerful stream of water at Koffing.
Boom!!!
The Water Gun hit Koffing head-on, knocking it back into the cabin with tremendous force. Pikachu nimbly avoided Ekans' Acid attack, the corrosive purple liquid burning a hole in the deck where it landed. Pikachu then charged forward, its tail glowing with a metallic sheen. With a swift Iron Tail, Pikachu slammed Ekans, sending it flying.
Ekans spun through the air before crashing back down, hitting Jessie and James and sending the two of them tumbling back into the cabin.
"Let's go!" Ash called out.
Without hesitation, Ash signaled to Misty and Brock, and they quickly followed him. Almost all the other passengers had already made it to safety. There was no time to lose.