Note: This chapter is based on/inspired by episode 16.
21: Ash and Friends vs. The Deep, Dark Sea
Creak, creak. The sound echoed out annoyingly, breaking into a pleasant dream. Creak. The sound kept repeating, seeming drawn out more, and even louder than before each time. Drip, drip. More annoying sounds rang out until Jessie finally awoke. "Shut up!" she muttered irritably. That plus her headache was more than enough to piss her off.
James was crumpled next to her as she sat up. It wasn't unusual for them to camp close by each other, but this surface was really too hard for any real rest, and full of puddles besides. The air was also stuffy. Looking around, the little brat with the Pikachu was noted laying down, unconscious, Pikachu on his back in a similar state to her partner. Looking up, there wasn't a sky, but a carpeted hall. A flame down the hall-ceiling was their own light.
It took a few moments to truly process how truly unusual the situation was, then another to realize how dire their circumstances were. Once Jessie did, she leaned down and started to try and shake James awake. "James! Get up! Hurry! What the hell's going on here?"
Ash woke up first. He rolled around, causing Pikachu to fall off his back. "Chu," it called as it was jolted awake.
Ash rubbed his eyes. "What happened?" he asked absent-mindedly.
"You interfered... And now..." Jessie peered up, squinting her eyes purposefully shut before observing the area again. "Now, I don't know how the hell the rest of this happened."
"Kachu?" Pikachu called, peering into the darker area curiously. "Pi," it called again, dashing through the puddles. "Pikachu!" it called louder in front of Meowth, frowning at the puddles before it simply poked at the unconscious pokemon.
"Pikachu, come here," Ash said, wanting his pokemon to be closer if nothing else. A flight of light caught the attention of everyone present.
"Ash," a familiar girl's voice echoed. "Is that you?"
"Yeah! I'm over here, Misty!" Ash shouted. Her and Brock soon came into view, Brock holding a flashlight which he shone around the area.
"You're-" Misty began, then pursed her lips as Jessie made eye contact with her. "You're all okay," she said.
"Don't look too happy," Jessie said.
"As if any of this would have happened if it weren't for you," Misty snapped back.
"That's enough," Brock interrupted. "We've got to figure out how to get out of here."
"Jessie?" James finally seemed to be waking up. At first sounding sleepy, he then shouted, shuddering before standing up and grabbing Jessie's arm. He looked around the area and up before easily making the same conclusions as everyone else. "We've shipwrecked? What's going on? Are we stuck here? We're not stuck inside, are we?" he fretted.
"That's exactly it," Misty informed, a hand on her hip. They'd almost seemed to be remaining calm before James had spoken up. "Looks like we flipped over, and I'm pretty sure we're sinking. We can't go up, so I guess we're stuck." James again shouted out in terror at Misty's explanation. "Oh, if only someone hadn't tried to steal pokemon."
"You mean this twerp from us?" Jessie commented.
Misty glared at Jessie, deciding to say nothing else. "Pika, pika," Pikachu chanted as it rolled a pokeball over to Ash's feet. "Chuu," it declared as it looked up at him.
"That's right, all those pokemon," Ash realized. Looking around, there were several pokeballs scattered around. "We can't just leave them here." He leaned down to pick up the pokeball, then went for the rest. Misty, Brock, and Jessie did as well.
Jessie prodded James. "Help out, don't just sit there," she goaded. James picked up one of the pokeballs in response.
"Those two shouldn't have any!" Ash said, pointing at the two rocket agents accusingly.
"I could say the same for you. Want to battle over it?" Jessie challenged.
"That doesn't matter right now," Misty said.
"Right, as long as the pokemon are safe," Brock agreed.
"It's no time to battle these two. We have other things to worry about, like how we all might die here if we don't get out," Misty said.
As Misty spoke, James shouted again. "We're really trapped... We're really going to die here, aren't we?" He fell to his knees, putting his head down in his hands. "I'm not ready... I don't want to die!"
"As if we do," Misty muttered. James didn't seem to notice the comment, and instead began to sob loudly. Watching a grown man cry was really awkward, plus Misty herself had been trying to hold it together. Maybe if she shouted at him he'd stop.
Jessie did so in her place. "Stop it, James!" she chided, leaning down and pushing his shoulder before he tearfully looked up. "Are you really that afraid to die? I'm not, if it means I'll go out in a beautiful streak of light like a meteor."
James paused, swallowing before he stood up. "We'll die in the prime of our life, then," he said, his voice weak though still controlled when compared to his previous outburst. "Forever preserved as a beautiful memory imprinted upon the universe for the ages."
"Right. I certainly won't lay down and die an pitiful, ugly, death," Jessie said, grabbing James's hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "It's too good for either of us."
"I'm so glad I met you, Jessie. There's no one else I'd want to accept my finale into infinity with."
"I'm ready for anything."
"You've always been so brave. May I lean on you once more?"
As Jessie and James conversed, the younger group just stared. "Ah.." Misty almost began speaking, then stopped herself.
"Enough dramatics," Meowth spoke up, hopping onto James's shoulder to distract them. It then peered over at Misty, shaking its head. "They're like this all the time. Don't let it get to you," it assured.
"Oh... Yeah," Misty coughed rather than laugh, relieved that the awkward conversation was over.
"So, we've got a big problem on our hands, eh? But don't worry, no one's dying today," Meowth promised. "Lucky for you all, this meowth made sure to learn this ship inside and out for the boss's mission. I'll lead us right out of here, no prob," Meowth bragged.
"Of course! Meowth should know just what to do!" James exclaimed, picking up his friend in a hug.
"It does always bother with the pointless details," Jessie added. "I guess this time it works out for us."
"What's your plan?" Brock asked, staring Meowth's way seriously.
"Um, well." Meowth paused as James released his grip, glancing around the area. "Even though we're upside down, it's easy to find the way out. We just go-"
As Meowth began to point its claw, Brock interrupted. "That way is blocked by water," he said. "Open it up and we may be fighting against the current rushing in. Even if we can get out, we'll still be on the bottom of the ship, unable to see our way to the surface. I've got my flashlight here now, but I don't think it's waterproof at whatever depth we're at. I don't think we should go that way."
"What do you think, Meowth?" James asked.
"He's wrong, isn't he?" Jessie said.
"Hey!" Misty interjected. "What kind of trainer looks to their pokemon for things like this?"
"This meowth is its own pokemon," Meowth protested.
"Is that right? Well all three of you need to wake up! Can't you think about it for yourselves? Of course Brock is right!" The rockets didn't reply to Misty's assertion. The sound of dripping water took over the area before there was another loud creak. Misty sighed, not having really meant to damper whatever enthusiasm they were digging up to actually live through this. "Can you think of something else?" she asked, looking first from Brock, then to each of the rockets, before checking up on Ash, who stood by Pikachu, staring at the ceiling.
Meowth finally broke the silence. "Yeah, maybe that big twerp is right," it admitted. "So, if we can't make it out the way it was designed, we'll have to go to the bottom - which is now the top. Then we break out and swim for it."
"There's other things to think about," Brock began. "I wonder how far down we are. And just so you all know, it's ten o'clock at night now. It'll be even darker out there than inside here."
James made a noise of discontent, while the rest of them paused in thought. Misty closed her eyes. "Right... The ocean really is scary," she said. Of course, she loved the ocean, but her experience with it was by the shore, more or less skating on the edge of a behemoth. She didn't know much about the expanded, monstrously deep body of water at all. "There could be scary animals outside, maybe even sea monsters."
"Wild pokemon?" Ash broke in. Since he'd mostly been quiet, everyone looked his way. "I mean, pokemon means pocket monster, you know."
"There won't be any pokemon," Brock declared. "Even wild pokemon live in areas close to humans. Out here, this far at sea, I doubt we'll see one. But that doesn't mean we won't run into other wildlife, even dangerous animals." He smiled reassuringly at Misty. "I doubt there will be any giant sea monsters, at least."
"But... That's right, we have pokemon," Misty said, taking out her pokeballs. She released them all, and the three water types floated in front of her.
"Showing off that you have three?" Jessie asked, folding her arms. "You just said battling wouldn't help us here," she pointed out.
"Of course battling won't, but my specific pokemon will," Misty said. "Staryu, Starmie, show off your flash-iest move!" Misty ordered, posing by habit as she directed them.
The humans looked away as the pokemon lit up. As their eyes adjusted, they could also see Staryu and Starmie's gems had lit up, also illuminating the area around them. "You taught them that move?" Brock asked as he got down on his knees and took out his backpack, taking out the potion for Misty's battle-weary pokemon.
"I sure did. It got a great reaction in our shows back in Cerulean," Misty informed.
"Not bad," Jessie admitted.
"Yeah, it might help to get a better view," Meowth said.
"And it's not just that," Misty said. "Pokemon are stronger than us. My water-type pokemon specifically can move quickly through the water. I bet they can carry us faster than we can swim."
"Oh! Great idea!" James exclaimed.
"Too bad Squirtle's not here," Ash lamented.
"Pika," Pikachu agreed.
"Don't worry, Ash. My pokemon can bring more than one of us up... Probably." Misty laughed.
"Probably?" Jessie repeated.
"Well, it might be hard for more than one person to hang on," Misty said. "I guess then we'd have to leave someone behind."
"And who... Who would that be?" James asked, a sense of dread in his voice.
"Who? I wonder who," Misty said, laughing to herself.
Brock put back on his bag and stood up. "Yeah, enough time here. Let's get moving. That way should be easiest, right?" Brock nodded to the hall ahead.
"I think so," Meowth said.
"Come on then." Jessie stood up, facing the opposite direction from where Brock and Meowth seemed to agree to go. "Let's get moving."
"Jess, where you going?" Meowth asked.
"We can't count on this group, so we'll find our own way out," Jessie said. "They don't want our help."
"Jessie?" Misty opened her mouth in surprise. "What makes you say that? Of course we want your help!"
"So it's one way? Weren't you just saying you'd leave us all behind?" Jessie accused.
"No," Misty said, although she had really been implying that. This group really made her angry, both because they were unrepentant Team Rocket agents, and also because they had harassed her and her friends personally throughout their journey. She couldn't help but have a little fun at their expense. But of course, if it came right down to it, there was no question in Misty's mind what to do. "Of course I'd never leave you behind to die."
"Really?" James asked.
"Yeah, really?" Ash repeated.
"That was just a bad joke. I'm sorry..." Misty said, guiltily observing the pattern in the carpet above as she spoke.
Jessie folded her arms, no other reaction as she about faced to Brock's suggested direction. "Let's just get out of here," she said.
The group followed her, Misty returning Starmie and Goldeen for the moment, leaving Staryu to light the way. They eventually saw the staircase they'd need to descend, now up in the air, completely away from their feet. "That's the way," Meowth said as it pointed upward. It ran back, then leapt up, just missing the goal.
"Pi pika." Pikachu laughed as the other pokemon fell in a comical way.
"Want to try again?" Jessie mocked. "But even if you make it, what about us?"
"I've got an idea," James said, then threw a pokeball up into the space. "Go, Weepinbell!" As the addressed pokemon appeared, he shouted out his next order. "Use vine whip to help me up there!"
"Will that really-" Brock began, then stopped as the pokemon's vines indeed lifted James right up. "Never mind."
"I knew you could do it," James praised, patting his pokemon on the head. He then held it around the middle. "Now, let's help everyone else!"
James helped stabilize his pokemon as it repeated the technique. Before long, everyone made it to the floor below, which was now above. Brock again took out a potion, this time healing Weepinbell. "Thank you," James said, nodding to him before returning his pokemon.
"Good, this should be easy," Meowth said. "The next staircase is just around the corner here."
They repeated the process until reaching the bottom level. Rounding a corner, they'd find the next staircase in the floor-ceiling. Finally, they reached a dead end. Meowth pointed a claw to the wall. "That way'll take us right out," it informed.
"Um, how?" Ash asked.
They stared at the wall, Brock's flashlight flickering, as they tried to think of an answer, or at least hope someone else did. Eventually, a loud creak echoed through the area. "What is that sound, anyway?" Jessie snapped.
"The ship starting to feel the pressure of the seawater, I assume," Brock said.
"It's getting that bad?" James fretted.
"We really don't have time," Misty said. She called her pokemon's names as she sent them out of their pokeballs. "Get ready to bring us out! And now... We just have to hope one of us has a pokemon that's good for breaking us out," she said, looking to the rockets and Ash.
"Ekans, Lickitung, probably not. At least not easily," Jessie said.
"Mine can't either," James said.
"I knew about them. But what about your stolen stash?" Misty said. "We're all hanging on to some."
"A fire type might work best," Brock said.
"Too bad Team Rocket took Charmander," Ash said with a frown. "I hope it's okay. And the rest of my pokemon too."
"A rock type might help, too." Brock added. "Just to force it to break. Onix won't fit though."
"Well, let's get this gacha going," Misty pressed. She threw out the first pokeball, revealing a mankey which jumped in fright, bouncing around before she returned it.
Jessie sent the second, a golduck. She left it out. "At least we won't have to rely on her pokemon," she said.
James tried the third, and a charmeleon appeared. "What do I win?" he said with a grin.
"Maybe your life," Misty said.
"Charmeleon!" Ash approached it first. "I know we're not your trainer, but we really need help. He pointed to the wall. "You know flamethrower, right?" he asked.
"Char, charmeleon," the stranger's pokemon replied.
"It says it does, and it's good at it," Meowth said.
"How would you know?" Misty challenged.
"How would a pokemon know what a pokemon says?" Meowth countered.
Ash ignored them and continued speaking to Charmeleon. "You've gotta use flamethrower. Make it a big square, so we can swim out. Your trainer's up there."
Charmeleon appeared to accept the order, facing the wall. Before long, flames streamed out of its mouth. "Oh no, get ready," Misty said, grabbing onto Staryu. Everyone else took hold of a different pokemon. Charmeleon stayed dedicated to its task, working steadily to complete the square. Eventually, without warning, the piece of the hull flung forward, water starting to enter the area.
James quickly returned the fire-type. "I'll go," Misty shouted over the sound of the rushing water. These were her pokemon they were depending on after all, so she ought to show confidence in them first. "Staryu, Starmie, use flash, and then let's move!" Misty held her breath and braced herself before Staryu fought against the incoming current and took her out of the ship.
The remaining group stared after her. Brock took the initiative next. "Goldeen, get ready to help Ash," he directed. "And Pikachu, um..." Brock paused.
Ash leaned down and picked his pokemon up. "I won't let go of you," he promised.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu also wasn't about to get left behind by its trainer. It gripped onto Ash's jacket just as tightly as the boy held onto it. Ash tied himself to the makeshift harness Brock had fitted Goldeen with, then hung on as the pokemon pulled him out into the water.
"Wonder if they're okay," Jessie mused as she watched them.
"They're fine," Brock said. Of course, it was best to believe that, since they were all about to follow in Misty and Ash's footsteps, and would share whatever fate they had. "Misty's pokemon are well trained, strong. That golduck looks like it's in good shape as well."
"Golduck!" the pokemon agreed.
"Now, listen to me," Brock began seriously. "You should follow me right away. Don't hesitate. Starmie's the one lighting the way, and should go pretty quickly. The longer you wait, the greater the chance Golduck might not be able to find its way."
"Golduck?" the pokemon called with less confidence.
"You'll be fine," Brock assured, then sloshed through the increasing water. "Are you ready, Starmie?" After the pokemon called out in affirmation, he held on, and they left.
"Don't hesitate, he said," Meowth said, putting its paw up in sure hesitation.
"That guy's right," Jessie said, staring forward. "Don't worry, we've got too much left to do to die."
"I hope so," James said, then lifted up his pokemon friend. "I've got you, Meowth," he said.
"Let's go!" Jessie shouted to Golduck. The water type pokemon grabbed one human with each arm, dragging them into the ocean.
Outside was nothing by darkness with the exception of Starmie and Staryu's lights. They flickered through the water, leading the way for the other pokemon. The humans kept their eyes shut, holding on as tightly as they could as the pokemon went at top speed, bringing them up farther and farther, seemingly without end.
Misty was the first to reach the surface. She took a deep breath as Staryu placed itself upside down, offering a beacon for the pokemon that followed it. In quick succession came Ash, Brock, and the rockets.
"We're alive?" James said as he gasped for air. "We are, we made it!"
"You can't keep Team Rocket down for long!" Meowth exclaimed.
The statement was enough to annoy Misty, but the reality they were facing was enough for her to ignore it. They were on the surface of the ocean, for sure better off there, but it was still the middle of the night. Around them was nothing but the crashing waves and pure darkness only broken by the light provided by the two star-shaped pokemon. "Brock," Misty began, trying not to cry as the rush of relief faded and the reality set in. "What can we do now?"
"In the morning we should be able to see things better," Brock suggested. "Keep Staryu and Starmie out, so any passing ships might see us."
Around a partially overcast sky, the moon could be seen intermittently in the sky along with an array of stars, giving some partial light. Still, Misty didn't want to wait for anything. How long would it be until anyone came around to help them? In the morning, would they just see more endless ocean, with no land in sight? How long could they really last just floating there in the water, anyway? Maybe this really was the end. Would anyone even tell their families that they were gone? Misty tried to hold back tears as she gripped onto Staryu, treading water. She couldn't lose hope just yet.
"What if we never find our way to shore?" James asked in an almost whine, speaking the thought that Misty had just decided would be useless to even think about.
"Are you really that afraid to-" Jessie was seemingly got ready to rehash their previous conversation.
"You two need to shut the hell up, right now!" Misty shouted, getting a sudden burst of energy. "If you want to die in a burst of watery fire flame or whatever you were saying before, just swim away right now and do it!" Jessie and James didn't take Misty's suggestion, not that she really wanted them to, of course. They did get quiet and stay quiet for the most part as they floated in the dark water without any indication of time.
"A meowth's fur isn't meant to get this soaked," Meowth spoke the complaint eventually, but no one responded.
Ash looked to his pokemon. "What about you, Pikachu? Are you okay?" he asked.
"Pika." Pikachu had gotten fairly good at swimming, and was doing alright, but it could still get tired, and was starting to.
"Climb up here if you need to rest." Ash lifted his head, indicating the top of his hat.
"How about not," Misty suggested. "We don't need you getting tired out, or Pikachu pushing you down."
"Pika!" Pikachu tried its best to show it still had plenty of energy to keep swimming. It wasn't going to be a burden to any of them, much less hurt the boy it was supposed to protect. "Pi?" It sensed the animal underneath. There wasn't much it could do, or could it?
Starmie called out harshly, noticing the possible threat as well. It dove underwater, followed by the other water types, leaving the group swimming in darkness. They warded whatever it was away, then returned to the surface, again providing the limited light. Eventually, Staryu's light started blinking, Starmie's also doing so just a few moments later.
"Huh? What's going on? Something wrong with them?" Jessie asked.
"Their energy is low," Misty explained.
"Oh, just like-" James began.
"Why are they like that? We've just been swimming here, aren't they water type?" Jessie demanded.
"They haven't just been swimming out here with the rest of us. They dragged us up here and had all those battles with you rockets beforehand. It's understandable," Misty defended.
"Well can't you do something for them?!" Jessie demanded.
"I..." Misty paused. Of course, she wanted to, but they were relying on their light for a possible beacon. Would her pokemon run out of steam first? Was it fair to everyone else here for her to prioritize their rest?
"Let Staryu rest in its pokeball first," Brock suggested. "Maybe Goldeen too. Having shifts for them might help."
Misty followed Brock's guidance, returning two of her pokemon to their pokeballs. A while after, a piece of driftwood floated into Ash. "Hey!" he exclaimed.
"Get it, quick!" Misty said. They all soon grabbed it, relieved at the help. They put Pikachu, Meowth, and Starmie on top, while Golduck and the humans grabbed the side. Though they were still in the water, they saved energy this way.
Hanging onto the side, Brock was also able to get out one of his remaining potions, and sprayed the water types. After giving it a second thought, he also gave Pikachu and Meowth a less thorough spritz.
"Hey, thanks bud," Meowth said. It still lay down in its exhaustion, staring up at the half-moon. "I wonder if the boss is looking at the same moon, thinking of me."
If she'd had more energy, Misty would have laughed at the idea that Giovanni would do that for anyone. "Does he think about you at all?" she asked, only thinking after she'd spoken that the question might spark an unneeded argument.
But Meowth just rolled over, relaxing on the driftwood. "He does, all the time I bet," it answered calmly, closing its eyes. "I'm the boss's top cat. He'll be so happy to see me when we get on out of here."
"Pika!" Pikachu commented happily. It was nice to hear that even this meowth had someone waiting for it.
Even though it had a unique ability, if that's what one could call speaking like a human, Misty could hardly imagine Giovanni cared about this weak pokemon at all. "So Giovanni's so nice to you? That's why you joined Team Rocket?"
"He's the smartest guy alive," Meowth said. "Thanks to him, me and these two are gonna be rich and powerful. Not that I need him to bribe me. I wouldn't wanna be rich and powerful with any other human."
Misty could have groaned, but stopped herself. This meowth was one thing, but were there actual people holding that man in such high regard? Probably, since he had seemed to acquire so much power. It was probably better not to get too worked up about it while trying to conserve energy. Right, getting into this topic in the first place was a mistake. But rather than just shut up about it, Misty inquired of the other rockets, "Why did you two join, then?"
"Team Rocket is the future," James answered without hesitation.
"Well, pokemon are the future, but Team Rocket will control all pokemon eventually," Jessie said.
"You can't really believe that," Brock said.
"Why not?" Jessie asked, picking her head up to look at the boy.
"Just think about all the people who have pokemon. They won't give them up," Brock said.
"Who's saying we'll worry about what the undeserving think?" Jessie asked.
"Yeah, we'll reach our goals without asking permission," Meowth added.
James snickered. "It's true. Progress was slow at first, but it's increased in the last year or so," he informed.
"Right. And no one else is worthy of it," Jessie said.
So that was their line of thought. Maybe it was the thought of everyone in Team Rocket. Misty hadn't really given the motivation of anyone in the group much consideration before, not that it changed her feelings on anything. Their actions shouldn't be tolerated. Previously the conversation might have even riled Misty up, especially thinking of the specifics that James had implied. She might even argue that even with all their 'progress', they were very far from controlling all pokemon. But escaping from a sunken ship followed by hours of floating in the dark with waves crashing around her was enough that she just stopped talking to them.
"Why you asking so much? You wanna join? The boss doesn't usually hire twerps as little as you, but maybe we could put in a word for you," Meowth offered. Even with that ridiculous, just offensive question, Misty was just able to shake her head no in response.
Eventually, the first signs of light glowed on the horizon. "Starmie, Goldeen, return," Misty returned both pokemon, then hesitated before sending out Staryu to replace them. Even without Starmie's light, the group could see the ocean around them.
"There's nothing," Jessie fretted about the obvious.
"No one's out there to help us," James added.
"Wait, look!" Ash lifted his hand, trying to point and swim at same time, then grabbed the driftwood with both hands.
Again, there did seem to be some kind of island. They tried to swim, pushing themselves toward the area. By the time they reached it, the sun was high in the sky. It took a little more effort to get on the shore, but their feet finally touched ground. James and Brock pulled Misty and Ash so they could walk as well. Once he could, Ash put Pikachu on his head, and James grabbed onto Meowth.
"So, where are we?" Jessie asked as the waves hit her back, holding steady as the current threatened to pull her back. There was no sign of life, even on land. Once they were actually touching ground, they walked a little beyond the shore, and still found nothing but wilderness.
James was the first to sit on the sand, burying his head in his knees. "Come on," Jessie began, then realized she was unable to work up the energy to berate her friend. She sat behind him, resting back to back. Eventually, the others followed. Pikachu paced in front of them for a while, taking inventory of the environment before curling up right next to Ash to sleep. For the moment, they were safe.
End note: Hope everyone reading is enjoying. St. Anne week concludes with the next installment.
Next chapter: Mondo vs. Ash