While Red and the others were still searching for a suitable breakthrough point, Red sharply sensed that the speed at which the water level inside the ship was rising had clearly increased. Something must have ruptured somewhere, allowing seawater to pour in.
The reason for the rising water level was, of course, Team Rocket's doing. Having just regained consciousness, Team Rocket wanted to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible. As a result, Jessie "cleanly and efficiently" commanded Arbok to use Acid on the deck, successfully allowing seawater to flood into the ship again—submerging Team Rocket entirely.
Drawing from her childhood memory of assembling a model of the S.S. Anne, Misty proposed a plan to break through from the bottom of the ship. Since nearly all routes to the deck had already been submerged, Red and the others had no choice but to make their escape from below.
While everyone searched for a path, Misty sent out Goldeen and unexpectedly fished up Team Rocket, who were on the verge of drowning. When Goldeen hoisted them out of the water, Ash and the others were startled by their appearance. Even Red was taken aback—at this moment, Team Rocket looked more like terrifying drowned spirits.
Sure enough, once Team Rocket regained consciousness, they immediately began arguing with Ash's group, practically itching to settle things right then and there.
"If you want to die, I don't mind letting you taste seawater again!" Red said coldly. At a time like this, they still wanted to cause trouble.
Under Red's pressure, Ash's group and Team Rocket were forced into a temporary cooperation. However, when the mischievous Pikachu shook hands with Meowth in reconciliation, it couldn't resist releasing a bit of electricity, instantly shocking Meowth until he was charred. Misty scolded the naughty Pikachu on the spot.
Leaf stood silently beside Red, puzzled by the grudge between Ash and Team Rocket. But for now, the most important thing was to leave the S.S. Anne as quickly as possible.
"There's a staircase above—that's the key to reaching the ship's bottom. Brock, please send out Onix to act as a ladder," Red said. Giant Onix's enormous size usually made it inconvenient to deploy.
"That one? Got it! Onix, I'm counting on you!" Brock threw his Poké Ball. As the white light faded, Onix efficiently positioned itself as a ladder, allowing everyone to climb up successfully.
Moments later, Red and the others arrived at the entrance leading to the engine room. However, the passage had been destroyed in the earlier battle, and fierce flames burned below.
"Leave it to me—Ivysaur!"
Leaf quickly came up with an idea and sent out Ivysaur to use Vine Whip to bridge the broken passage. Ivysaur's vines were tougher than Bulbasaur's and twice as numerous. Before long, everyone crossed safely to the next area.
Finally, they reached the ship's bottom. As long as they destroyed the iron plate above them, they could escape using Water-type Pokémon.
They quickly divided responsibilities. Red would use his crimson Gyarados. Since Leaf had not brought any Water-type Pokémon capable of carrying a person, she would ride the crimson Gyarados with Red.
Ash sent out Squirtle, Misty sent out Goldeen, and since Brock had no Water-type Pokémon, Misty lent him Staryu.
They tied ropes around their waists and their Pokémon, making final preparations. Red commanded the crimson Gyarados to bite through the iron plate above. The ceiling split open with a massive crack, and raging seawater rushed into the ship.
"Team Rocket, hurry and follow us!"
As Red and the others departed, Ash didn't forget to call out to the stunned Team Rocket, wondering why they hadn't sent out any Water-type Pokémon.
"Wait! How are we supposed to follow?!" Jessie cried anxiously. She didn't have any Water-type Pokémon at all.
Still at the bottom of the ship, Jessie and Meowth began complaining endlessly. James, who had remained silent, suddenly let out a strange laugh.
"James, what's wrong with you?" Jessie asked fearfully, thinking he had gone mad from despair.
"Heh heh heh~ You two kept mocking me before. But actually, I already foresaw this moment!" James said proudly, pulling out a gold-painted Poké Ball.
"That's… Magikarp!"
Jessie and Meowth immediately knelt sincerely before James, placing all their hopes on the Magikarp in his hands.
"Magikarp among Magikarp, king of Magikarp—Magikarp!"
The excited James even chanted this slogan, completely unaware of what would happen next.
"As expected of James!"
"James-sama~ From now on, I'll listen to everything you say!"
Jessie and Meowth flattered him wildly, oblivious to the despair awaiting them.
"Of course! Come out, Magikarp!" James proudly sent out Magikarp. "See? Using my advance salary to buy it was absolutely the right choice!"
The three tied ropes around themselves, preparing to follow Magikarp to safety. But Magikarp continued splashing uselessly.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, they suddenly remembered Magikarp's nickname—'the weakest and most pitiful Pokémon.'
Despair after hope is the most devastating. Team Rocket and Magikarp were swallowed by the seawater, sinking gradually along with the S.S. Anne into the ocean depths.
...
Red and Leaf were temporarily separated from Ash's group. Thanks to Red's psychic powers, he and Leaf didn't need to hold their breath and could breathe freely within a psychic barrier. The crimson Gyarados' powerful aura also scared off many Water-type Pokémon.
Just when Leaf thought they were safe, a gang of five ordinary Gyarados entered the crimson Gyarados' line of sight.
Most Pokémon are hostile toward differently colored members of their species. Naturally, the Gyarados gang regarded the crimson Gyarados with hostility. Wild Pokémon also tended to discriminate against those raised by humans, so they had already deemed Red and his Gyarados enemies.
"A bunch of arrogant fools. Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!" Red commanded coldly. He usually wouldn't provoke wild Pokémon unless it was for training—but if they declared war first, he didn't mind teaching them a lesson.
Dazzling golden energy particles gathered in the crimson Gyarados' mouth. The gang tried to defend, but it was too late. A single Hyper Beam easily defeated three of them. The remaining two immediately considered fleeing.
After defeating three Gyarados, the crimson Gyarados' muscles began to swell. With the boost from its Moxie Ability, its Attack rose three stages.
It locked onto the remaining two Gyarados, showing no intention of sparing them.
Leaf said nothing to stop Red. If the crimson Gyarados lacked the strength to intimidate them, they might have been the ones in danger. She felt no sympathy for the gang—only a strange thrill.
(Oh Red… when will I ever truly understand you…)
Leaf gazed at him with admiration. She had always followed behind Red, striving to surpass him through her own efforts. But after spending so much time together, she realized how laughable that thought was. In her eyes, Red had never shown his true strength. He had always been the "other people's child" praised by everyone in the neighborhood.
"Use Aqua Tail!" Red ordered.
"ROAR—!"
The crimson Gyarados let out a vicious roar, striking fear into the two remaining Gyarados. Before they could react, its massive tail slammed into their faces. The terrifying impact left their eyes spinning, and they lost all ability to fight.
"ROAR!"
Its muscles swelled once more—its Attack rising five stages in total. But now there were no opponents left. The crimson Gyarados even showed a disappointed expression.
When it turned expectantly toward Red for praise, it discovered that Red had already left its back and returned to the seabed, seemingly searching for something.
(Oh no! Where did that human girl go?!)
Only then did the crimson Gyarados realize that Leaf had vanished from its back.
Red located the missing Leaf using his Aura abilities. After a quick assessment, he understood what had happened.
During the intense battle, the crimson Gyarados had been too focused and failed to consider Leaf's stability. The aftershocks of combat had made it impossible for her to hold on, forcing her to lose her grip.
(My body feels so heavy… Am I going to… I still haven't even with Red…)
Choking on seawater, Leaf gradually closed her eyes. Through her blurred vision, she saw a figure approaching. Just as she was about to lose consciousness—and her breath—warm air filled her mouth.
Without thinking, she greedily inhaled the precious air, not even caring where it came from.
As her awareness returned, Leaf suddenly opened her eyes to find Red giving her artificial respiration. Embarrassment was inevitable—but escaping was the priority. She didn't resist. Instead, she secretly extended her tongue to "connect" with his.
Busy saving her, Red didn't notice. He even thought the air supply wasn't enough and continued his efforts.
When he suddenly felt his tongue lightly bitten, Red realized Leaf had awakened. He immediately ordered the crimson Gyarados to surge upward in one breath, breaking through to the surface.
...
Back at the surface, Red and Leaf inhaled the hard-won fresh air—but soon noticed that Ash and the others were nowhere in sight.
"This is bad. What if Ash and the others are in danger?" Leaf asked anxiously.
"Relax. With Ash's strength, there's no way he'd lose to this sea. Right now, our priority is to find an island as soon as possible," Red replied.
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