"So, are we going to dive underwater next?" Ash asked.
Brock stirred the seawater with his hand, worried, "But if we dive down, what if we swim for a long time only to find a dead end, or encounter a gate that won't open? Then we'd be in trouble."
"In that situation, of course, we rely on Pokémon!" Xiao Xia said, taking out her Poké Ball and releasing a Goldeen into the water. "Goldeen, go check out the situation down there and find a route to escape!"
Goldeen nodded, sank into the water, and in a blink of an eye, had disappeared.
However, a long time passed, and it still hadn't returned.
"Is it really not going to work?"
Xiao Xia frowned. Just as she was about to go down herself to check the situation, the water surface suddenly rippled.
After waiting a while, as the water parted, the first thing to emerge was a disheveled, ghost-like human head!
Because they were fully focused, everyone was startled. Xiao Xia even shrieked, hiding behind Xia You, clutching his clothes, trembling.
Compared to the girls, Xia You was braver. He forced himself to calm down, and as the head continued to float up, he realized it was actually Team Rocket Trio, layered on top of each other, being pushed up from the water by Goldeen.
"Everyone, don't be afraid, it's Team Rockets."
Xia You patted Xiao Xia's shoulder, and when Xiao Xia clearly saw that it was indeed Team Rocket Trio, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What the heck! How are they in the water?"
Musashi, Kojiro, and Meowth lay on the ground, each spitting out a few mouthfuls of seawater. They were originally on their last legs, rolling their eyes, but upon hearing Xiao Xia's voice, they instantly regained their vigor and all sprang up.
Musashi shouted, "What a small world, it's you guys!?"
Immediately, both sides drew their Poké Balls, ready for battle. Musashi and Kojiro released Ekans and Koffing, while Ash and Brock released Squirtle and Geodude.
"Hey, hey!" Xiao Xia reached out to block them, hastily stopping the situation from escalating. "You guys need to understand, my Goldeen just saved you, and look around! Now is not the time to fight! If we don't quickly find a way to escape, we'll all die here!"
However, despite her words, Ash, Brock, and Team Rocket Trio still glared at each other fiercely, neither willing to back down.
At this moment, Kojiro suddenly saw Xia You standing to the side, pointed at him, and exclaimed, "Ah! It's you! Thank you so much earlier, otherwise I would have been tricked by that guy selling Magikarp!"
"Idiot, we're bad guys! Why should we thank others!" Musashi hit Kojiro's head hard, then asked confusedly, "But speaking of which, who is he?"
Kojiro's face flushed slightly, not daring to tell the truth. If Musashi knew he almost advanced two people's salaries to buy a Magikarp that only flopped around, she would surely kill him with her own hands.
Xia You advised, "Everyone, let's stop here. Xiao Xia is right, we really don't have much time left!"
With Xia You mediating, both sides finally recalled their Pokémon.
Through questioning, Xia You and the others learned that Team Rockets, these two people and one cat, had also failed to leave the St. Anne in time just now. After the cruise ship capsized, they were eager to escape, so they directly broke through the hull, causing seawater to rush into the cabin and sweep them into the current.
If Goldeen hadn't happened to pass by just now, it's likely that this trio would have already become underwater ghosts.
"Hmph, fine then." Musashi put her hands on her hips and said arrogantly, "But don't get cocky, this is just a temporary truce, it doesn't mean we'll let you off the hook in the future!"
"I say..." Xia You asked tentatively, "You don't have Water Type Pokémon, do you? We're going to leave from the sea in a bit, is it really okay for you to be so arrogant?"
"This..."
Team Rocket Trio's expressions changed. They seemed to have just realized this problem and instantly did a complete 180-degree turn in their attitude, bowing and apologizing profusely.
"Ah! We're sorry, it was our mistake!"
Xia You shook his head with a smile. No matter how heavy the atmosphere, as long as they were there, it seemed like things could become amusing and joyful.
Having dealt with Team Rockets, they could now finally discuss their strategy in peace.
Brock stroked his chin and asked, "Now, how exactly do we get out of here?"
"Leave this to me." Xiao Xia puffed out her chest and said, "I used to make models of the St. Anne, so I know its structure very well. Since the path below is blocked, we'll have to go up. I remember the bottom of the ship below the engine room is quite weak. If we make a hole there, we can escape!"
Ash and the others nodded in agreement, but only Xia You raised an objection.
"We can't make a hole in the bottom of the ship!"
"Huh?" Xiao Xia asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Xia You explained, "If we break the bottom of the ship, water will pour down from above, and the water pressure will definitely be immense. It will be very difficult to swim against the current. Moreover, after breaking the cabin, the air pressure will become unbalanced, and seawater will quickly fill the entire cruise ship. If we can't successfully leave from the bottom of the ship, it will definitely be too late to try other methods."
Xiao Xia suddenly understood, "I see, so do you have a plan?"
Xia You continued, "Since the bottom is completely submerged in seawater, I think we should let the Water Type Pokémon break through any part of the ship's wall in the submerged area below and lead us out! That way, the water pressure we face will definitely be much smaller!"
"But if that's the case..." Xiao Xia hesitated, "it will inevitably take more time than leaving from above, and I'm afraid we won't be able to hold our breath for that long."
"Don't worry about that. I just glanced out the window. Although this ship has sunk, the terrain of this sea area is relatively high, so we're actually not too far from the surface."
Saying this, Xia You pointed to the seawater below their feet.
"And look, what's that!"
Everyone looked down, only to see several plastic water bottles floating in the direction Xia You was pointing!
After the drinks in these bottles were consumed, they filled with air, and now they had somehow drifted here!
Xia You said, "If we hold the bottles in our mouths, even one extra breath will surely allow us to last a few minutes longer than usual, and the seawater here isn't deep, so there's no need to worry about the seawater crushing them!"
If it had been someone else raising this objection, Xiao Xia might have stuck to her guns, but when Xia You spoke, she became the most supportive one.
As for the others, they looked at each other, unable to make up their minds, but since Xiao Xia supported Xia You, there was nothing more for them to argue about.
"Alright, then that's what we'll do!"