Notes: I decided to make this St. Anne week. After that, maybe I'll have a posting hiatus, I haven't decided yet.

This chapter is based on/inspired by episode 15, which had its 25th anniversary a few days ago. Enjoy!

20: Team Rocket vs. The St. Anne

"We're back!" James announced as he entered the small, unassuming shack by the ocean.

Mondo sat up from his desk, nodding at James, Jessie, and Meowth as they walked in. In front of him was nothing but paperwork, making their operation seem as mundane as possible. They were just employees of this cruise line, both as part of the plan and as a cover. "Welcome back! Did you sell many tickets?" the boy asked.

"Some of the trainers around here don't even want to leave. Don't they have a sense of adventure, or even just luxury?" Jessie complained, closing her eyes as she sat in the folding chair next to Mondo.

"They ought to!" Mondo exclaimed. "I know I've mostly been at base other than deliveries, but it's always wonderful to see new places. It's so exciting to be here, especially knowing how our plan will benefit us!"

"Don't yap too much," Meowth warned. It hopped on the table in front of Mondo, shifting its eyes from side to side. "But yeah, we sold some." Meowth giggled, putting a paw to its mouth. "These chumps are buying their way to giving us their pokemon."

"Didn't you just say not to yap?" Jessie snapped, looking at the door. "Though it is quite amusing they play along without knowing it. That is, the ones who snatch up the bait."

"Maybe we should just give tickets away, " James suggested. "After all, the goal isn't to make money off this," he added in a lower voice.

"The boss says it's fine," Mondo said. "Some of the others have already done so. We just can't in great quantities. He said it would be suspicious. So choose the best trainers to 'win'."

"The boss seems really into this plan." Meowth frowned.

"Of course!" Mondo exclaimed. "It's our current most important operation, and the boss has been working on it for months. He invested Team Rocket's funds, just to make sure we were hired."

"Oh." Meowth's eyes opened wider. "If that's the case, maybe there's something to this plan after all! He ordered us to come here, personally!"

"We must have been hand picked," James mused, leaning against the side of the shack.

"I bet you were. You're among our top agents... Maybe second to Miss Cassidy and-"

"Huh?" Jessie loudly interrupted, slamming her hand on the table. "You're saying we're second to Cassidy? Why? What's she and her dumb partner done lately?"

"Oh, well..." Mondo fidgeted, pausing slightly before he continued, the sounds of the ocean heard in the distance. "They acquired quite a number of pokemon from talented trainers in an ingenious scheme. It was-"

"So what. We probably got more from Pokemon Tech," Jessie insisted.

"Actually, their total was two more," Mondo said.

"Hmph." James smirked, shaking his head. "So you kept track."

"Of course! Inventory and distribution is what I do. I will say their pokemon were less cooperative than yours, as a whole," Mondo informed.

"Yeah, Pokemon Tech pokemon are ready to listen to whoever picks up their pokeball," Jessie said.

"Oh, that could be why. But I had thought it was because of Master Meowth reassuring them one by one," Mondo said.

"That... That's right!" Meowth exclaimed. "The boss has gotta see my value."

"And ours?" Jessie asked tersely.

"Of course." Meowth jumped down, pacing around with a smile. "If the boss really thought those other two saps were tops, he would have got them to lead his pet project instead. Instead, he got us! That's how much he values us!"

"Of course! That has to be why!" James agreed.

"Yeah, don't go give those other two more credit than us," Jessie said.

"Of-of course not. You contribute so much," Mondo assured. "We're all trying our best to contribute to the team, you and them."

"Yeah, yeah, forget that. Who cares as long as they're doing what the boss wants." Meowth grinned happily. "Do you two realize what this means? We're still in good with the boss, even with that one slip up! We gotta be extra sure we don't mess up this time!"

"Right!" James said, smiling happily.

"As if we would," Jessie added.

As the door rattled, the group other than Mondo stood up straight, James adjusting the jacket he'd placed over his Team Rocket uniform. "You there, Billy?" the old man asked as he entered the room.

"Right here, sir!" Mondo responded, almost shouting as he spoke to the man.

"Oh, you got company again," the man said. "There sure are a lot of employees, you sure this outfit can afford 'em?"

"Of course! We need them to serve all of our passengers!" Mondo reported with a smile.

"This'll be my biggest company in years!" the old man said. "Just wanted to make sure you're doing alright."

"Of course! I'm here to help you. Please be sure to ask me if you need anything," Mondo still spoke far more loudly than typical, keeping the smile on his face.

"Of course. Dunno what I'd do without you. I'll check in again soon." The man turned and left, tripping and almost falling in the entryway.

"He's not one of ours?" James asked in a low voice as he observed the man walking slowly away.

"No. Though he is the captain of the St. Anne," Mondo informed.

"He doesn't mind you shouting at him?" Jessie asked.

"It's necessary. He's going deaf... Perhaps losing some of his eyesight as well," Mondo replied.

"He's what?" Jessie exclaimed.

"Should we be getting on that ship with him at the wheel?!" James asked.

"Don't worry, senpai," Mondo assured with a smile. "The plan is that we'll be off the boat long before there's enough time for anything to happen."

Misty entered the dorm, seeing all beds other than one were empty. She then pulled the blanket off of Ash. "Pi," Pikachu cried, cringing as it was revealed to the light underneath as well.

"What are you doing, Misty?!" Ash demanded, groaning before he sat up.

"Seeing what it is you're doing," Misty informed, hand on her hip. "You should be thanking me. Just how long are you going to rest on your laurels? We've been in Vermilion long enough. Where are you going next?"

Ash rubbed his eyes as Pikachu rolled into its back. "I dunno," he said. "Um, what about Saffron? It's so big, I bet there's a gym there."

"Of course there's- Ash! Haven't you done any research?" Misty chided.

"Leave me alone, I'm just getting up," Ash said.

"And it's about time," Misty said. As Ash pouted her way, she still decided to leave, and went to the cafeteria. By the time she'd made some tea and gotten a little food, Ash entered, fully dressed and at least somewhat groomed. His pokemon ran up to her first. "Pikachu," Pikachu called happily, hopping up and going for food off Misty's tray.

"Go ahead," Misty invited with a smile.

Ash didn't make it over completely. He bypassed her, distracted by the boys in the corner who were staring at the TV. "It's the league!" Ash exclaimed before being shushed. He stayed quiet and watched a minute before he finally went and sat across from Misty. "I've gotta join it..."

"You won't get five more badges in just a few days," Misty pointed out.

"I know," Ash said defensively. "I guess I won't be entering it until next year," he said, slumping down in his chair. "I really wanna join. I've been watching everyone from town get there... I wonder if Gary made it already."

"I doubt it," Misty said. "Do would he really want to enter this early into your time as a trainer? He shouldn't, and neither should you. Take time to train your team."

"I guess no one else entered so soon," Ash said. He clenched his fists. "That's it, we've gotta leave soon so I can get the next badge!"

"Now you're talking," Misty said, sighing as she relaxed. If he was to improve as an ally, he should get to just that.

Another trainer went and interrupted the boys watching the league predictions. "Did you hear about that contest?" he asked.

"There's a contest?" another boy asked.

"Right outside! There's a huge prize, some kind of trainer cruise!"

A cruise? Misty's attention turned completely to boys that were conversing. "Where's this contest?" she asked them.

Apparently, it was just in front of pokemon center, taking over two of the dedicated practice areas. Misty and Ash watched several trainers competing, apparently for the chance of free tickets. "The St. Anne," Misty mused, imagining the ship in her mind. Though she'd never seen it, it had a reputation as a luxury liner. Fancy pools and gourmet meals were probably part of the package, along with a fluffy, posh bed. Not to mention it was specifically described as a 'trainer cruise', so there would likely be no issues with her having her pokemon out to enjoy the accommodations along with her.

"Welcome, welcome!" a cheerful woman's voice rang out. "You're trainers, aren't you?" she said.

"Yeah," Ash confirmed.

"I'm giving out tickets today to the prestigious comeback cruise of lovely St. Anne! Do feel free to compete," the woman who was apparently running the contest informed.

Observing the other person, Misty's brow furrowed. This lady really looked familiar. Before she could really think about, the woman turned away, her face out of view. Misty decided to ask the one question on her mind. "Where is it going?" This could be her chance to finally visit another region, or even a whole different country!

"We'll head out to sea a day or so, and then come to port," the lady informed. "Oh! What a pleasure to see such talented trainers," she commented, staying involved in the battle in front of them.

"Oh," Misty said. Well, it wasn't as if a luxury cruise by itself wouldn't be a new and pleasant experience. "Will pokemon be allowed?" she asked.

"Of course! Only trainers are allowed. We'll have many accommodations for pokemon, even on board battles."

"Alright!" Misty cheered in response to the information. "We've got to get some tickets! What do we have to do?"

"But we're going to the next gym," Ash said.

"Hey, why are you in such a rush now? You've lounged around since you won the last one, you can take a few days to train on a cruise," Misty snapped.

"Oh. Yeah, all my pokemon need to train more," Ash said. "You first, Charmander!" he said, grabbing a pokeball.

As the battle concluded, the woman put out her hand. "Please, show your skills in the next battle. I'm assigning tickets to the last one standing."

"Just winning a battle? That'll be easy," Ash said, taking his place on the field aside another trainer before Misty could protest. The trainer had apparently heard his declared pokemon, and quickly beat him with a Golem. Misty groaned, but then took her own place on the field across from Ash's defeater as the woman running the contest motioned to her in invitation.

"All of my pokemon need training too," Misty said with a smile. "Go! Goldeen!"

The pokemon she'd rescued from her sisters' imposed obscurity took its place on the field, bouncing up in preparation. The trainer Ash had beaten sent out an oddish. Misty smirked, knowing her opponent likely figured he'd have an advantage like with Ash and Charmander, but he was in for a surprise, going against a pokemon that had been in many gym battles. Goldeen used an agility and fury attack combo to avoid oddish's slow attempts and then knock it out in victory. "Alright!" Misty cheered, momentarily forgetting winner's decorum. She approached the trainer, thanking him for the battle. "Who's next?" Misty asked.

"We've finished! What a wonderful battle!" the enthusiastic contest runner declared. "Here you are - two, no, three tickets!"

It was just enough. Misty was about to talk to the lady more, see if they'd met before, but she had turned away, offering the boy Misty had beaten one ticket as a second place prize. Turning away from the busy employee, Misty observed the tickets in her hand. They definitely looked legitimate, complete with seal. "Hey, Misty, that was pretty good," Ash complimented. "So, you're going on this cruise thing?"

"We're all going!" Misty declared. She spun around dramatically, then posing with her fingers showing a V for victory. There were three tickets, after all. Misty waved them in front of Ash's face to emphasize the fact. He smiled in response. "Let's go tell Brock," she said, running inside the pokemon center to look for him.

In front of the St. Anne, a crowd gathered. The crowd was so large that Ash and his friends hardly noticed any one of them as they went toward it, including the group in front of the shack by the pier, who soon ducked out of sight. Much more appealing was the destination in front of them.

"Woah!" Ash exclaimed as they approached the giant ship. He ran closer to get a better view.

"Pika?" Pikachu did the same, tentatively following him. They both stared up, unable to get a clear view of the ship's balcony.

"I think my parents went on this," Brock commented. "It was back before I was born. Or maybe it was one of my grandparents, I don't really remember what they said."

"Real princesses and princes have been on it," Misty informed, closing her eyes and imagining being in a ball gown, fitting right in with such company.

"Are you sure?" Brock questioned.

"Not really," Misty admitted. "But I did hear it from someone. Isn't it fun to think about?"

"It's been around for so long, all kinds of people have visited," Brock said. "Well, should we get on?"

The group got in line, eventually boarding the ship. As they walked up, Jessie, James, and Meowth turned back around, staring in their direction. "So, we've got them ensnared as well." James grinned as he observed the group with Pikachu joining an even larger group of trainers.

"I made sure they got the tickets," Jessie informed. "I didn't know if they'd use them. But here we are, pokemon from two gym leaders, plus that rare ultra-powered Pikachu." Jessie and James exchanged glances, smirking at each other as they giggled together.

"Pikachu never goes in its pokeball," Meowth observed, frowning.

"Yeah? And so?" Jessie commented.

"So how are we gonna get it trapped? Aren't you thinking in advance?" Meowth demanded.

"Pikachu may be powerful, but I'm sure with all the trainers present from our side, we'll have no trouble," James asserted.

"More and more of our teammates are getting their own pokemon, thanks to us," Jessie said with a self-satisfied smile.

"And also those other two, Mondo said," James pointed out.

Jessie scowled. "So what! After today, we'll easily have surpassed them!" she snapped.

James had to smile himself. "Of course," he said. "Just with the pokemon of the three that entered, we're set. And then there's all the others besides that."

"Billy!" Jessie and James cut their conversation short and stood up straighter as the captain called for Mondo. The boy got out of the shack to greet him. "Billy, you got my checklists?" he asked.

"Of course, sir!" Mondo went back inside and came out with a clipboard.

"Thank you," the captain said. "You ought to be my right hand man. Come board with me."

"Oh, thank you so much! I'm flattered, but like I said before sir, I have work here!" Mondo replied.

"Oh, that's right, isn't it," the captain said. "And all my passengers are getting aboard, I already ought to be."

"That's right, sir. Happy voyage!" Mondo said.

"Oh!" the captain exclaimed as he almost ran into Jessie. "You've got a pokemon out here!" he glanced down at Meowth. Meowth frowned, having been around where this captain might see it plenty of times before.

"Like I said, sir, the ship will be full of trainers, and they'll likely have their pokemon out as well," Mondo informed.

"That's right. I'm just surprised. It's fine, it's fine. I think we should more often. There were pokemon out walking around more when I was a boy. They were everywhere, I-"

"Ah, sir," Mondo interrupted the captain's reminiscing. "You were about to board, weren't you?"

"Yes, right," the captain said. "Best wishes to you, my boy, you've been helpful."

"He's right, Mondo," Jessie added when the man left. "But you always are helpful."

"Thank you, senpai, you're too kind," Mondo said.

"We'll have to say farewell for now as well," James said, tossing the flower he'd been holding Mondo's way. "We'll be back with even more pokemon prizes."

"Yeah, see you, Mondo," Meowth said.

"Farewell, senpai! Until next time," Mondo called after the group as they followed the captain onto the ship.

Misty couldn't help but be disappointed as they looked around the ship. There were no bouquets of flowers, lacy curtains, or people in ball gowns. There were hardly decorations at all, the deck and interior looking quite plain. Misty sighed. Maybe she ought to have expected the trainers on the cruise ship would be dressed casually, as they usually were when they came in the gym or hung around the pokemon centers. Such outfits were made to move around easier when wandering around training, after all.

"Look, look!" Ash stared straight again, pointing at the room at the end of the hall. "There's a battle going on!" He glanced around as he entered the room. "And another! I want to battle too!"

"Come on in," a man in a black uniform invited. There were several others around in the same uniform with tie, most of them observing instead of joining in, indicating they must be employees. Ash took the invitation without even a word to Misty or Brock, running in and taking a spot as a challenger. Pikachu followed, and watched as Ash sent Squirtle into battle.

"Um, hi," a girl approached Brock and Misty, casually tapping Misty's shoulder. As Misty peered her way, she glanced away shyly before looking back. "We need more people for the pokemon contest."

"What kind of contest?" Misty asked.

"Just to see the prettiest, cutest, or maybe coolest pokemon," the girl informed, looking away again. "It's just for fun. They set it up, but we need more people to enter, or watch."

"Oh, well, I never heard of doing anything like that with pokemon, but it sounds nice," Misty said. As much as she liked her pokemon, her battle hardened friends didn't seem like they'd win a contest for being pretty or cute, at least not when compared to the pokemon of a professional pokemon breeder. Starmie and Staryu didn't even have faces. "But I don't know if I can enter or anything. Maybe I'll come watch later, I'm going to see more of the ship first."

"Oh." The girl glanced at the ground, pursing her lips.

"I'd love to see the contest," Brock said. "Are there any pokemon breeders there, by chance?"

"There's one judging!" the girl looked back up, excitement in her voice as she shared the information.

"Great! Show me the way," Brock said, then paused before he left. "Was there anywhere specific you were going to go, Misty?" he asked.

"There's a pool somewhere around here, right?" Misty said.

"There is," one of the employees broke into their conversation. "Come on, I'll show you."

Misty separated from Brock and Ash to follow the man that had invited her. Both the way he spoke and the casual way he thumped his shoes on the ground was far from the fancy setting Misty had envisioned. The St. Anne really did seem to have fallen from its refined reputation. Or maybe this guy was just an outlier.

But he was helpful enough, and did lead her right to the room with the pool. Misty paused as she entered, impressed at the sight. There might be a lack of decoration, nothing could change that it was a giant, fancy pool. Though unadorned, it was still sparkling clean, even bigger than the ones at home. "Hehe," Misty giggled. "Time to get in! Let's go, Starmie, Staryu, Goldeen!" Misty tossed out her pokeballs one by one as she called the pokemon out by name. "It's time to just have some fun!"

"You're... You're just taking them out?" the employee said.

"Yeah, of course," Misty said. She also had on her own swimsuit under her clothes, having expected to visit the pool this soon. "We're allowed, right? That was the whole basis of the cruise, wasn't it? Trainers can just have their pokemon anywhere."

"Right! Yes!" the employee said. He paused only a moment, watching the pokemon before he left the room.

Misty shrugged. Maybe he just wasn't used to pokemon, or at least not outside a battle setting. Maybe more would get used to pokemon as they were allowed in more and more places. Either way, they got to enjoy themselves together here.

Misty decided to get in the pool with her pokemon right then. Soon enough, two other water pokemon trainers joined her. They shared stories and training tips. One even fawned over her as a Cerulean gym leader. Then later, more trainers came, and they played together with their pokemon, one and the same. Misty started laughing as she saw a bulbasaur floating and relaxing in the pool. Despite initial impressions, this excursion was turning out to be the most fun she'd had in a long time.

Brock looked around the dining area as he entered. He couldn't see Ash or Misty, so just looked for an empty table. Ash soon walked in, greeting him without energy before slumping over on the table and groaning. Pikachu hopped on top of it next to him. "I finished like... ten battles," Ash eventually informed.

"That's some practice you're getting! Which pokemon did you use?" Brock asked.

"Everyone," Ash said. "Some were three on three.. Everyone took a turn, more than once, except Pikachu. I think it just felt like watching."

"All your pokemon must be ready for some rest and food then," Brock said. Various groups of trainers gathered around other tables in the dining area, the room becoming somewhat crowded. Some had their pokemon out by them resting, like Ash did with Pikachu, while others had no pokemon in sight. "Maybe we can get some soon... Since it's a trainer cruise, they'll know they need to feed pokemon as well as us," Brock said.

"Pika, chu," Pikachu agreed, standing up and stretching before curling up again in a different position.

A group of staff entered, fanning out around the room. One eventually reached Brock and Ash. "Hello, sirs," he said. "We'll be taking the pokemon to a pokemon spa."

"A spa just for pokemon?" Brock asked.

"That's correct," the man said. "Just put your pokeballs on the cart as it rolls by."

"Pokemon spa?" Ash repeated, thinking aloud. A wide smile fell across his face. "That sounds great! I want to try it!" As the cart came by, he went to take the handles.

"Sir," the employee began tersely. "It is just for pokemon. It's not designed for humans."

"Oh." Ash frowned. "Do you wanna try, Pikachu?" he said.

"Pika?" Pikachu peeked up from its restful state.

"It might like to," Ash said.

"Then just put your pokemon in its pokeball, and we'll take care of it," the man said, waving his hand to present the pile of pokeballs already present.

"You'll be feeding them as well?" Brock asked.

"Yes, of course," the man said.

"Only the best food," another employee added.

"I'm still not sure I should send them," Brock furrowed his brow. "I have an onix. Do you really have a space to accommodate it?"

"Yes, we have all that. Everything for pokemon of all types and sizes," the man assured.

Brock took out his three pokeballs. "I guess Geodude and Zubat might like it," he said, and placed two of them on top of the cart.

Ash placed all five of his next to Brock's, and Pikachu hopped on top of the pile. "Pika!" it exclaimed happily, arms forward in the direction the wheeled item would move. "Sir, the pokeball," the man said, putting on a forced smile.

"I don't know where Pikachu's pokeball is..." Ash explained, looking up as he tried to think of where he'd put it. "I haven't seen it in a long time, maybe I lost it. Pikachu doesn't really like pokeballs, so you can just take Pikachu without one."

"Yeah, well," the man began as he gently picked Pikachu off the cart. "If you don't mind, we didn't plan to transport pokemon outside their pokeball. We'll send special accommodations later."

"Pi?" Pikachu frowned, looking from the cart to the man who had taken it off.

"Okay," Ash agreed. "Don't worry, Pikachu. He'll be back for you later."

"Pikachu," Pikachu accepted the information, then frowned again as it watched the fun cart be wheeled away quickly. It, Ash, and Brock soon became distracted as dinner was brought in.

Misty opened her eyes. She'd apparently dozed off. The pool had been too fun, especially with all the pokemon along with their trainers, friendly faces that were as excited as Misty about their little trip. She'd only meant to rest a little after all the swimming and pool games she'd played, but apparently, she'd completely fallen asleep.

Sitting up from the lounge chair, it was plain to see no one was left there other than her pokemon, Starmie and Goldeen floating in the pool while Staryu was completely lax in a different lounge chair. All the other humans and pokemon were gone, though it didn't seem that late. Was it a meal time? That made the most sense.

Misty got up and stretched. It would suck to miss a great meal, especially if she'd just be hungry later. She returned her pokemon to their pokeballs, put on her clothing over her since dried bathing suit, then slung her bag over her shoulder and left the room.

Outside, there were still no people, even as Misty went down the hall. They must be in some kind of central area. Going right to the pool, there hadn't been time for a complete tour, so Misty had no idea where that might be. She needed to try and find someone, some staff that might lead the way, perhaps.

As Misty rounded the corner, she had to stop herself from gasping. She stepped back slowly, then tried to make sure she was breathing quietly. Realizing the people she'd seen on deck were being rather loud, she calmed slightly, then peeked at them again.

The group, mostly men, were standing, laughing happily, two large bags in front of them. Some of them had on the uniform jackets, but others had taken them off, holding them in their arms or slinging them over their shoulders. This left their dark Team Rocket uniform in full view. "We got them all?" one man asked.

"There's still plenty on the way, just wait." Another man brought a backpack.

"This is gonna be the best stash yet!" he declared, throwing the bag on the ground next to the other. "The whole team'll have pokemon after this!"

Misty became angry, frowning and shaking her head as she heard them laughing and hooting. She'd like to just jump in there and tell them off herself, but she was overwhelmingly outnumbered. Controlling her impulses, Misty walked away, eventually staring at a running pace as she figured she was far enough away.

Her fear eventually fueled her retreat, and she started running faster. The situation was scary. The group was large, and seemed to have the pokemon of unknowing passengers in their possession. Maybe they couldn't be battled against, but they had to try, at least.

If nothing else, at least there was undeniable proof of Team Rocket stealing pokemon from others. Could Giovanni really get away with it, with this many witnesses and victims on a mass scale? Getting people there to see what was happening was important, even if they couldn't fight back.

Running through various halls, the dining hall was eventually found. Inside, passengers relaxed as Misty had been just before, not realizing that something about this trip was very wrong. "Everyone!" Misty shouted. "Listen up!" A few people nearby her looked up from their meals, but soon looked away, not at all interested in what she'd been about to say.

The disheartened feeling lasted only a minute before Brock and Ash were spotted. Seeing Pikachu on the table taking bits of their meals was a bit of a relief. But of course, this wasn't the time to relax. Even if Pikachu was okay, there were other pokemon that were about to be separated from their trainers. "You still have your pokemon?!" Misty asked as she leaned over the table.

"Uh, yeah," Ash said.

"Hey Misty," Brock greeted. "I was wondering where you'd went. You hungry?"

"Never mind that!" Misty shouted. Though they must have noticed her concern, Ash and Brock still seemed miffed at her reaction. Misty continued to shout. "Even if you still have your pokemon in your pockets, other people don't! Team Rocket's on board, and they're about to take them away. You need to listen to me!"

"Woah, woah, Misty, what's going on?" Brock asked seriously, finally starting to pay her words mind.

Misty's fangirl from the pool was at the table next to them. "Look, it's Misty. She's a gym leader from Cerulean. Did you battle there yet? It's so-"

Misty turned to the girl frantically, raising her voice as she spoke. "Listen up, everyone!" she repeated, trying to stop her voice from shaking. "Team Rocket is on board! If you don't have your pokemon, they do! They're gonna take them away if we don't do something!"

"Team Rocket?" Ash said, looking around the room as if he expected to see them.

"This cruise is a front," Misty explained, pursing her lips as she tried to stop from crying. "I heard them out there, talking about how they stole so many pokemon."

Brock swore as he stood up. "Misty, hurry up, show us."

"Yeah, come on, we'll stop Team Rocket," Ash declared. "Let's go, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled, sensing a battle coming.

As Misty made her way to the exit, her friends followed. The girls she'd spoken to exchanged glances. They both went to different tables, starting to talk to the other passengers. Thank goodness, Misty thought as she noticed them. Hopefully there would be more of a crowd to try and stop the rockets' plot.

"Looks like this group followed through," Meowth said as it approached the other rockets, Jessie and James behind it. It beamed as it saw the bags, then laughed as it bounced around them. "What a stash! We're getting rewarded for this!"

"Let me see," Jessie said to a grunt with a clipboard. She took it, then initialed the tables on the map that she and James had just gotten the pokemon from. Scanning the sheet, she saw initials on every table of the layout and grinned. "Looks like we're done here," she declared. "Good job," she said to the grunts.

"Done?" Meowth turned over the bags, then looked from side to side. "Hey wait, what about Pikachu?" Meowth stood on the bag to try and appear taller. "Hey! Who got Pikachu? Did it go in its pokeball or what?"

"You mean that one pikachu with the kid with the league hat?" one grunt asked.

"Yeah, that's the one," Meowth confirmed.

"Pft." The man shook his head. "He wouldn't put it in its pokeball, so I just decided to forget about it."

"You did what?!" Meowth exclaimed.

"That pokemon was a very important one," James chided.

"Hey, it's just one pikachu. It's too much trouble to handle it without a pokeball. Who cares?" the grunt defended.

"Pikachu? It's not even evolved," another pointed out.

"Don't judge a pokemon by its species," Jessie said. "Pokemon of the same species can have different power. Be on totally different levels. You haven't figured that out as a trainer yet?!" she chided.

"Of course I know that! But it's still just a pikachu!" the grunt said.

James frowned. "We've got a lot of pokemon here, but should we leave such a prize behind? What do you want to do?" he asked, looking to his teammates.

Jessie and Meowth exchanged glances, each remaining silent. Meowth stood up, getting ready to speak, just as the sound of multiple footsteps interrupted it. The group looked toward where the sound was coming from, and eventually multiple passengers appeared, Misty leading them with Brock and Ash right behind her. "There they are!" she declared. "This group is trying to steal our pokemon."

"It's Team Rocket," Ash exclaimed.

"And the real Team Rocket, unlike the counterfeits we've been dealing with," Brock said.

"What's that?" Jessie said. She walked to the front of her group, now in plain view of the group confronting them.

James followed. "Looks like our dilemma has been solved for us," he said with a smile. "This twerp's come to hand deliver us Pikachu."

"It is them!" Brock exclaimed.

"You'd better give me back my pokemon!" Ash shouted, running across the deck.

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed, trying to stop him, but he zoomed right past her before she could do so.

Luckily, James just dodged his punch before grabbing the young boy by the jacket. "You should think about what's going on," he advised, still with an amused tone. "That's no way to act in this situation."

"That's right. Were you prepared for trouble?" Jessie asked.

"If not, you'd better make it double," James said.

"Ha ha. Enough fun," Meowth said, nodding to the grunts next to it. "You've all got pokemon, right? Wrangle these dumb trainers for us, and get that pikachu."

As the rocket grunts released their various pokemon, Brock swore under his breath, taking out his pokeball and pressing the button several times before shaking his head. "You still have your pokemon, right Misty?" he asked.

"I do," Misty said, tensing up as she realized she might lose them as well.

"Get ready to fight," Brock said. "We can just stand around and let them get away with all this. I can't get Onix out, it won't release without enough room. You start."

Misty swallowed, frowning and trying to concentrate on her anger in order to push through her fear. "Alright," she said. "Let's go, everyone! Starmie, Staryu, Goldeen, get ready to battle!" Misty threw out her pokeballs one by one, calling out each pokemon's name as it appeared. These stupid rockets and their poorly trained pokemon wouldn't get past her friends who learned their skills by completing battle after battle in the gym. Misty stood in the middle as her pokemon fanned out across the battlefield, giving them orders as quickly as she could to battle the rockets' pokemon.

"Pikachu, go! Let's battle those rockets!" Ash ordered as Misty started her own battles.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu called as it jumped in front of its trainer.

"Come on! Try thunderbolt!" Ash shouted above the other trainers' orders.

"Oh no! We're in trouble," Meowth fretted.

"Ekans, bite!" Jessie shouted. Her pokemon completed the attack, which didn't seem to harm Pikachu much. The super power electric type just countered with quick attack.

"Ekans," the pokemon cried, then repeated the attack as its trainer ordered.

"Koffing, sludge attack," James ordered. Both his and Jessie's pokemon attacked Pikachu at once. "We're winning!" he realized.

"Or just keeping it occupied," Meowth said with a frown. "Pikachu should have knocked out at least a few of you by now."

"Come on, Pikachu. Why won't it just use thunderbolt? It's been listening to me before," Ash clenched his fists. "Pikachu, hurry! Thunderbolt! You can get both of them at once, just like before!"

"Ash, you don't see why?" Brock said, nudging his friend before pointing to the ground. The footsteps had echoed in a unique way as they walked around this part of the ship. "The floor's metal. Pokemon are good about noticing these kinds of things. Pikachu won't attack because it knows it'll shock all the humans here, too."

"It doesn't want to..." Ash scowled. Pikachu was handling itself well enough in the present, but its electric attacks were really its winning move. It was really disabled without them. "Just keep trying your best Pikachu! Watch out! Quick attack, behind you!"

Brock moved away as Pikachu continued fighting against Jessie and James's pokemon. He scooted past the battles as much as he could, then threw out the pokeball over Misty's staryu, which was being attacked by a rattata and a sandshrew. It landed on a large, empty area of the deck before Onix appeared, its low call ringing out as it did. "Alright!" Brock cheered as he caught the returning pokeball.

At the mere sight of the large pokemon, the rocket grunts backed away, forgetting to say the necessary commands to their own pokemon, though Misty and Ash kept up. "Who's going to go against that thing?" one asked.

"Hmph." James just smirked at the sight. "It can't even move around." Onix indeed wasn't able to even go from side to side in the previously empty area.

"That's right, just look at it. It's not going to be able to put up a fight," Jessie added. "Unlike ours. Ekans, wrap!"

"Koffing, keep attacking Pikachu, sludge bomb!" James ordered his own pokemon.

"Ash!" Brock called, waving his hand and pointing.

"Oh. Yeah," Ash muttered to himself before turning to Pikachu, who had just dodged another sludge bomb. "Pikachu! Go over on Onix!"

"Pi?" Pikachu looked up at the giant pokemon that was its friend. "Chu!" it called, happily running over to Onix, first leaping on its head, and then scurrying down its back. "Chuu!" it called mockingly back at Ekans and Koffing.

"Keep going! We can beat Pikachu if we gang up on it!" Jessie ordered. "Ekans, wrap!"

Just as Ekans approached, Onix lifted its head up, calling out a deep roar. "Koffing, try sludge attack!" James ordered. "Pikachu can't dodge you now!" "We can still win," he declared as he turned to the other rockets. "Hurry, if you have a pokemon that can fly or levitate over!"

Koffing itself floated over toward Pikachu, along with several other flying type pokemon. "Now, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. Pikachu saw the opportunity as easily as Ash, and began the attack, standing on Onix's back. "Koffing, stop!" James ordered, but he realized his mistake too late.

"Pika CHUU!" Pikachu shouted, shocking all the airborne pokemon that were pursuing it at once.

James and the other trainers quickly returned the pokemon. "Alright!" Ash ran, snatched up one of the bags with pokeballs as they were distracted.

"Hey!" Jessie shouted as she noticed.

"We'll get it back," James said, even as Ash handed the pack to a bystander and it disappeared into the crowd. "Go, Weepinbell!" James ordered, sending out the next pokemon.

"Pikachu and Onix are a great team!" Ash exclaimed. "They'll take on any of your pokemon."

"One mistake won't have you winning," James declared. "Weepinbell, vine whip!" he shouted.

"Onix, tackle!" Brock countered. Onix moved forward sharply, hitting Weepinbell with the attack. Both pokemon cried out as they were hit by the other's mutual attack. Pikachu dashed around on top of Onix to try and stay on. Brock, James, and Jessie all shouted their next orders. "Onix is holding back," Brock observed.

"Tell it not to," Ash said.

"It can't, it's the same as Pikachu," Brock informed. "Plus it's not just to protect us, it can't move completely freely because it just doesn't have the space." Brock winced as Onix, wedged in a walkway of the ship, was hit with both Weepinbell and Ekans's attacks at once, followed by several other rockets' pokemon. "Sorry, Ash, I can't let it stay in battle like that," he said, and quickly returned his pokemon to its pokeball.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as its friend that had made up the surface under its feet disappeared, and it fell toward the ground. It smiled in relief as it kept on its feet upon touching the deck, but then tensed up as it found itself surrounded by rocket pokemon.

"It's over," James declared, smirking in Ash's direction.

Ash clenched his fists, glaring in the rocket's direction. "If Pikachu and Onix can't fight anymore, I'll have to do it myself!" he said. Without any hesitation, he ran into the crowd of rockets.

"Ash, stop!" Brock shouted in surprise. The rockets were just as surprised as Ash ran right into one of the grunts, pushing him over. The waves crashed in the background. Brock ran over, noting others were following as well. One of his fellow trainers quickly grabbed one of the bags of pokeballs, leaving just one left.

Jessie picked it up. She struggled to keep her balance as the boat rocked back and forth. "Let's go!" she said to her fellow rockets, motioning toward where the lifeboats were.

"No you don't," Ash said, grabbing hold of the bag in Jessie's hands. Just as he did, everyone on board felt a major impact, some falling to the ground, several rockets almost being tossed overboard. The bag ripped open. The pokeballs spilled, going back and forth. "Hey!" Ash exclaimed. "I'll get them!" he ran after the pokeballs which rolled toward the center of the ship as others picked up the ones on board.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu called as it ran after him.

"Not our pokemon, you don't!" Jessie shouted. She returned her pokemon and ran after him, in the opposite direction from her teammates. James and Meowth only paused a moment before James returned his pokemon as well, and they both followed.

The deck started to clear otherwise as the rockets made their escape, taking their pokemon with them. Misty didn't bother with them, just returned her exhausted pokemon to rest in their pokeballs. "What just happened?" she asked as she approached Brock.

"It's not good," Brock said. He scanned the area around them, unable to find the source of the impact. "I think we crashed into something."

The man they knew as the captain rounded the corner. "There's everyone. I suppose we'll be abandoning ship soon," the man said as he stumbled into the open.

"Did you just plan this whole thing with them?!" Misty demanded.

"Plan for enough lifeboats?" the captain asked. "Of course, my girl, and they're right over there."

"What exactly is going on?" Brock asked.

"Well, every captain has some mishaps.. The ship's an old girl... With the impact we just had, I imagine we'll be sinking soon." The captain stood up straighter, brushing the rain off his jacket. "If everyone could make their way to the lifeboats."

Though the captain spoke calmly, the passengers, previously relieved by the reacquisition of their pokemon, began to panic, running in the direction the retreating rockets had gone. Misty just looked the opposite way. "We should go get Ash," she said. "He might need help, too."

"I'd guess so," Brock said. He and Misty ran down the hall, finding sign of neither human nor pokemon that had gone in that direction.

"Ash!" Misty called loudly. "Hurry up, we need to get out of here!" Misty bit her lip as only silence and the rushing sound of the storm was heard in response. "Will Jessie and James be bullying him?" she worried aloud.

"Ash surprises both me and them," Brock said. "Plus Pikachu is with him."

"Yeah. I guess so," Misty said. As she kept walking with Brock, she froze, feeling the ground start to tilt in front of her. "I think I'm getting dizzy," she said.

"No, something's going on," Brock said. He grabbed the handle of a door, and then Misty's hand with his other arm. They both shouted as the floor beneath their feet soon became a slide, and then their walls, causing them to go tumbling down. As seawater came in, Brock was eventually unable to hold on, his hand slipping before they fell, screaming on their way down.

On the small boat, the officer looked out to see along with the rest of the search team. There had been some expected traffic, no sign of the shipwreck had been found, including the missing persons. They looked around more, but the officer eventually ended up shaking her head. "Where do you think the ship's gone?" she asked.

"To the bottom of the ocean," one of the people searching responded, still not taking his eyes off the ocean. "From the report of the captain, escaped passengers, and other witnesses, that's the only place it could have gone." After a few moments, the man spoke again. "What about the missing?"

"They were reported to have gone back into the ship as others were evacuating," the officer informed. "They could still be there."

"A shame," another searcher responded. "How old were they?"

"There were two boys, 10 and 14, as well as a girl, 11," The officer shared. "We'll be able to inform their families, but there was also a man and women, names and ages unknown, along with various pokemon that are unaccounted for."

"A tragedy," a woman said, shaking her head.

"Hey, we're still looking!" another passenger protested.

No one else said anything. Despite the bleak facts that had been outlined, the search really was still underway. They'd do their due diligence, even if it led to a report of the missings' deaths.

And it was starting to look more and more like that would be the outcome. One of the women searching removed a flower from her hair, tossing it in the ocean. The young ones, the other humans, as well as the pokemon deserved some kind of memorial.

Rest in peace.

End notes: The St. Anne incident was definitely an important event. Especially for our regular rockets who I think, though having tripped before, officially fell from their criminal grace then. But it there didn't seem to be much follow up? Though it was at the start of episode 16 instead of the end of 15, we did have Officer Jenny saying everyone's dead, all the humans by name even. ...Then no follow up to that? That'll be different here.

Next chapter: Ash and Friends vs. The Deep, Dark Sea