Well, that was quite the influx of reviews. Thanks to you all!
phcgamer: We'll see.
Guest 1: Good question! Aron's randomization does not mean anything about Team Rocket's leader. He is completely randomly generated. (Yes, that means he could've been a Legendary. Now that would have been funny.)
Guest 2: Most of your questions have the same answer - 'you'll just have to wait and see'. However, two I can answer right now. First, Officer Goh is the same age as normal Goh. All characters are going to be the same age as they normally are. Second, I do not have any particular love for Gen 3. While I do like Gen 3, my favorite generation is Gen 6, specifically XY. The sizable number of Hoenn characters is just how the randomizer ended up.
Glad you all have ejoyed the fic so far, and I certainly hope you enjoy this chapter too!
"So this is the S.S. Anne," Ash murmured as he stepped into the main ballroom.
"Nice place," said Clay. "Real kind of Spenser to give us these tickets. I can't say I've ever been on this nice of a ship before - usually I prefer to stick to dry land."
"And it seems that they are holding a Pokemon battle over there," Cyrus noted, pointing.
Ash looked in the direction Cyrus was gesturing to see a Raticate and a Starmie duking it out in the center of the ballroom. The Raticate was ducking and dodging the Starmie's blasts of water as it streaked towards the Water/Psychic-type, its massive front teeth glowing with energy. "Rapid Spin!" the Starmie's Trainer cried; the Starmie began spinning in place, twisting to present a buzzsaw-esque whirlwind of arms towards its opponent, but the Raticate came on regardless, slamming into the physically-frail Starmie hard enough to send it sprawling to the floor.
"Finish with Hyper Fang!" the Raticate's Trainer, clearly a gentlemanly sort by looks alone, called out. The Raticate pounced, and before Starmie could rise or obey its Trainer's frantic orders for a Water Pulse, its jaws clamped down on the gem in the center of the Starmie's body, cracking it from the sheer force of the attack.
"I forfeit Starmie!" the Starmie's Trainer cried immediately.
A succession of claps and cheers sounded from the watching audience as the gentleman called his Raticate back. The Starmie's Trainer recalled her Pokemon and stepped forwards to hand the gentleman some Pokedollars and congratulate him on a well-played match.
Ash grinned. "A battle? Don't mind if I do."
"That Raticate looks pretty tough, Ash," Clay warned.
"Relax," said Ash. "I just fought and beat an Ivysaur and a Shiftry! I'm not scared of an evolved Pokemon, even if mine aren't evolved yet!"
"Let him have his fun," said Cyrus. "After all, that is why we are on this boat, is it not?"
Clay nodded. "All right, Ash, go right ahead."
"Awesome!" Ash quickly strode over to the arena, where the gentleman was applying a Super Potion to his Raticate. "Hey!" he cried. "I want to fight you next!"
"Oh?" The gentleman looked up. "Very well, young man - my Raticate certainly has a few more good scraps in him, don't you?"
"Rat!" The Raticate nodded, grinning at the prospect of another fight.
"Tympole," said Ash, "are you good for a battle?"
Tympole was definitely good for a battle.
He frowned at the Raticate's widening grin - clearly the Normal-type saw him as easy prey - and tried to focus on steeling himself. This would be his first battle under his new Trainer. His chance to prove himself. Unlike Clay, Ash was willing to use him - he needed to make sure not to disappoint.
All he needed to do was beat this Raticate. And despite the evolution disparity, he was fairly certain he could.
"Raticate, use Super Fang!" the gentleman called.
"Blast him away with Echoed Voice!" Ash cried.
Tympole inhaled and unleashed a wave of noise at the charging Raticate. The Raticate stumbled but kept coming; Tympole dove to the side, but wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the Raticate's jaws clamping down on his tail.
"Slam it to the ground!" the gentleman ordered.
"Supersonic, point-blank!" Ash shouted.
Tympole twisted as best he could in Raticate's jaws and screamed. Raticate snarled in pain, dropping Tympole and staggering backwards reflexively. Tympole's tail ached, but he forced the pain back as he rounded on Raticate.
"Bubble!" Ash called.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" the gentleman countered.
Raticate shook his head to clear it, then dropped into a crouch and lunged through Tympole's barrage of Bubbles, using his surprising speed to evade each one as he sped once more towards the Water-type.
"Try lowering its speed with Mud Shot!" Ash called. Tympole summoned up the energies necessary to perform the Ground-type attack, and much to his relief a half-formed Mud Shot flew outwards, slamming into the charging Raticate and causing it to hiss in pain.
A split second later, Tympole realized Raticate hadn't stopped charging.
"Tympole!" Ash cried as Raticate slammed full tilt into the Water-type, sending him flying. Tympole landed hard on the ground; he dimly heard the gentleman calling out "Finish with Jump Kick!"
I'm not finished yet! I can't disappoint Ash in my first battle with him!
"Tympole, get up and Echoed Voice!" Ash called.
Grimacing, Tympole flipped over, rising in time to see Raticate flying right at him. Tympole inhaled, then unleashed a second, stronger Echoed Voice that intercepted Raticate's charge in midair. Raticate was sent flying backwards; the Normal-type landed back on the ground some distance away, snarling.
"Again!" Ash ordered.
"Dodge and counter with Quick Attack!" the gentleman told his Raticate.
But Raticate was unable to evade the wide-reaching soundwaves. He got his front clear, but the Echoed Voice clipped his hindquarters and sent him spinning to the ground.
"One more time!" Ash cried.
"Wait!" the gentleman called. "I'd like to offer a draw, in order to spare our Pokemon any more pain that may come from a prolonged battle!"
Ash blinked. "Well-"
A cough came from behind him as Clay stepped forwards. "Don't even try it. Ash won that fight fair and square. Hand him his Pokedollars and get outta here."
The gentleman grimaced, but at a further glare from Clay stepped over and handed a stack of Pokedollars to Ash before retreating. Ash grinned. "Thanks, Clay!"
"Don't mention it, Ash," said Clay. "Next time someone tries something like that, just say no. That kind of thing is illegal under Pokemon League regulations."
"Okay," said Ash, turning to Tympole. "Awesome job, Tympole! You really showed that Raticate!"
I did, didn't I? Tympole allowed a grin of his own as Ash showered him with praise. Hopefully, he thought, that'll be enough to make sure Ash wants to keep battling with me.
On the other side of the ballroom, more evil plans were afoot, as a certain trio made their way through the network of passengers and vendors.
"Keep your head low," Liza hissed. "We don't want to be recognized from our wanted posters."
"But I want to see what the vendors have to offer," Drake protested.
Liza huffed. "Focus on the mission. If this fails…well, suffice it to say we can't let this fail. Aron and I are going to oversee the Grunts - you stay here and keep watch. See if anything happens that might interfere with our plan."
"Yeah!" said Aron, backing her up. The two stepped away, leaving Drake alone in the ballroom.
Sighing, Drake began to take a look around, searching for any police officers, Gym Leaders, or Elite Four members (because who knew if one of those might be on board. Especially Candice - she wouldn't be a good opponent for Dragonite, that was for sure.) He also kept an eye out for Ash, remembering the boss's orders.
Drake huffed. For the longest time, he and Dragonite had been strong enough to overpower all opposition with ease. But now that Genesect was in the mix, that was no longer the case. All other conflicts with that kid and his Gym Leader friends had been excusable - bad luck, they'd been ganged up on, and so on and so forth. But the battle at the Pokemon Center had changed that. Dragonite had gone up against that kid's Genesect one-on-one - no, one-on-three, even, since Aron and Lunatone had also been involved - and Genesect had won.
It stung to have to turn tail and run away from a single kid. But that was the new reality. Drake had already begun training Dragonite again, something he hadn't done for quite a while, coasting off Dragonite's superior power rather than actually working on anything. Now, though, he was trying to see if Dragonite could learn a Fire-type move or something. Really, anything that could bring down that accursed Genesect.
As Drake looked around, he heard a cry. "Magikarp! Get your Magikarp here!"
Drake's head whipped around. He spotted the Magikarp seller immediately, standing at a stall far smaller than the ones on either side and waving a Pokeball. For a moment Drake eyed the seller hungrily. Magikarp were useless, of course, but he knew that with enough time and effort, they would evolve into a powerful Gyarados, a mighty asset to any Trainer's team.
But Drake shook his head. No matter how much he wanted a Magikarp, that was not his role. His role was to watch the ballroom and make sure nobody was here that might interfere with the operation. So there was no way he was going to break off of that mission to go off to a stall and buy a Magikarp. Nope. Not a chance in-
"You. Bought. A. Magikarp?" Liza advanced on Drake, who cowered away despite being about twice as tall as she was.
"The vendor was…persuasive," Drake protested.
Liza scowled. "We are in the middle of a delicate operation with everything on the line, with the goal of, may I remind you, stealing every Pokemon on this boat! Including the Pokemon owned by those vendors! Even if you actually wanted a Magikarp, which there is absolutely no reason for you to want, you could've just stolen one after the operation! Not to mention we're supposed to remain incognito, and you're supposed to watch for trouble! We don't have time to gallivant around buying up random Pokemon! Now take that stupid fish and-"
It was at this moment that the Magikarp in Drake's hand abruptly dissolved into a pink blob.
Liza, Drake, and Aron all stared as the blob looked up at its new Trainer. "Ditto!" it cried.
Drake looked at Liza. Liza looked at Drake. Aron looked at both of them. The Steel/Rock-type cleared his throat. "All right, let's just agree ta move on with da mission and forget dis conversation, okay?"
"Okay," said Drake. "Come on, Ditto, time to meet your new friend Dragonite."
Ash watched the ballroom from the corner he was standing in, idly hoping more opportunities for battle would present themselves. Tympole had clearly enjoyed the battle against that Raticate, and he wanted to replicate that experience for the rest of his team, but so far no further challengers had presented themselves. The ballroom was full of passengers, vendors, passengers buying stuff from vendors, and several people wearing uniforms marking them as the crew of the ship.
"Ash, was it?"
Ash turned to see the gentleman whom he had battled earlier. Instantly he was on guard, remembering how the man had tried to cheat Ash out of his winnings. "Yes," he said. "What do you want?"
"Firstly, to apologize for my conduct at the battle's conclusion," said the gentleman. "It was foolish and undignified of me. And secondly, to congratulate you. You've raised quite a strong Tympole to be able to defeat my Raticate."
"Thanks," said Ash. "Though I can't give myself all the credit." He looked around for Clay but didn't see him; it suddenly occurred to him that Clay and Cyrus weren't anywhere nearby, at least not that he could see.
"Ah, yes, your friend," said the gentleman. "Well, regardless, I wish to make you an offer. A simple trade of your Tympole for my Raticate. You get a fully-evolved Pokemon in exchange for an unevolved one. What do you say?"
Ash stared at the gentleman. "Why would I ever take that offer?" he asked. "Firstly, Tympole's my friend. It would be doing him a disservice to just trade him away. Secondly, Tympole just beat your Raticate, so why would I willingly make my team weaker by accepting that trade? And finally-"
"All right, everybody listen up!"
The rough, harsh voice brought everyone's attention to the center of the room. Both the gentleman and Ash looked over to see a large, black-haired man with a bright red R on his otherwise-black uniform standing there. "Isn't that Drake?" Ash wondered quietly.
"Your Pokemon are all now property of Team Rocket!" Drake bellowed; at that, more black-uniformed people began to make themselves known in the crowd. A lot more; Ash swallowed as he counted at least twenty. Drake released his Dragonite, eliciting a terrified murmur from the crowd. "Don't bother trying to resist, or we'll beat you up and then take your Pokemon. Now hand 'em over or nobody gets hurt."
There was a short pause.
"'And', you moron," Liza hissed from where Ash could now see her at the edge of the crowd.
"Oh, right," said Drake. "Now hand 'em over and nobody gets hurt."
The gentleman swallowed. "Well, guess this is goodbye, Raticate."
Ash stared at him. "Are you serious?"
The gentleman looked over towards Ash. "What else are we supposed to do? We can't fight Team Rocket - they're the cruelest, most evil gang in the entirety of Kanto! You saw that Dragonite. There's no way we can win, so it's best to just give up our Pokemon and avoid a beating."
Ash's eyes narrowed. "I'm not giving up my Pokemon."
"Kid," said the gentleman, "you're strong, I get that, but you don't have a chance against Team Rocket. And if you resist, maybe some of us might get hurt as a result. Just make this easier for all of us and give up your Pokemon. You can always catch some more later."
"Sounds like someone's got the right idea." A Team Rocket Grunt broke into the conversation, striding over towards the pair. "Listen to your elders, brat, and hand 'em over."
Ash looked around for Clay and Cyrus, but once again couldn't find them. I know they wouldn't stand for this. Where are they?
"Cyrus?"
"Yes, Clay?"
"Remind me never to go tour a ship with you again, okay?"
"That can be arranged."
"Will you two quit chattering and just hand over your Pokemon already?" one of the three Team Rocket Grunts surrounding the two Gym Leaders demanded.
Clay smirked. "Y'know, Cyrus, Ash is probably dealing with this as well, right?"
"I believe that would be a logical conclusion," Cyrus replied.
"Then we should probably go help him out, right?" Clay asked.
Cyrus nodded. "Indeed. I suppose we should deal with this quickly, then."
Clay grinned. "You read my mind."
"All right, brat, I've had enough of this stalling." The Rocket Grunt released a Rattata that at once began hissing at Ash. "Hand over your Pokemon now, or else."
Ash, still unable to see Clay or Cyrus, sighed and looked back at the Grunt. Screw this - even if Clay and Cyrus aren't around, I'm not just letting my Pokemon get stolen.
"Genesect," he said, sending out the artificial Legendary, "hit this Grunt and his Rattata with Techno Blast."
The Rocket Grunt paled. "Aw, crap."
"Heh," Drake chuckled. "This is easy! Look at 'em, lining up to deliver us their Pokemon! You couldn't ask for an easier score."
Liza shot a glare at him. "Really? First Aron, now you? Are you really that determined to draw the ire of the forces of the universe?"
Drake scoffed. "You and your Psychic stuff. 'Forces of the universe'? Gimme a break. And besides, it's not like Aron's prediction has turned out to be true. What were we thinking? It's a luxury cruise ship! Some two-badge kid isn't going to be on a ship like this!"
At this precise moment, a loud cry was heard, one that was rapidly growing louder. Drake and Liza ducked as the flailing, screaming bodies of a Team Rocket Grunt and his Rattata flew overhead, landing in the midst of the crowd some distance away.
Drake, Liza, and Aron all turned to see that the crowd had parted, revealing, standing on the other side of the room, the exact two-badge kid they were discussing.
"Okay, seriously!" Ash cried from where he was standing, Genesect at his side. "Why are we scared of twenty or thirty Team Rocket Grunts with Rattatas? We outnumber them by more than two to one, many of us have evolved Pokemon, and there is no reason why we can't just fight these guys and kick them off the ship!"
There was a healthy pause as Ash's words sunk in.
"Hey, yeah, the kid's got a point," said a woman.
"No, he doesn't!" said the Grunt currently stealing the woman's Wigglytuff. "Don't listen to him!"
The woman glared at the Grunt. "And you get away from my Wigglytuff!" She raised her handbag and whacked the Grunt across the face with it.
At that, practically everyone else in the room threw out their Pokemon and started shouting orders.
In the midst of the rapidly descending chaos, Liza turned to Drake, her eyes narrowed to slits. "You just had to say it, didn't you?"
Tympole evaded a diving Team Rocket Spearow, twisted, and hurled an Echoed Voice at it. The Spearow was sent flying into a chair, the force of its flight enough to shatter the wood of the opulent furniture. The Normal/Flying-type bounced off and fell to the ground very much unconscious. Heaving a sigh of relief - that Spearow had gotten too close for comfort with those wickedly sharp talons - Tympole turned to watch the rest of the raging battle.
Utter chaos had descended over the main ballroom of the ship. Everywhere Tympole looked, Team Rocket Grunts and their Pokemon were battling it out with the passengers and their Pokemon. A gang of Butterfree were dueling with a horde of Zubat around the chandeliers, vendors' stalls were being overturned by groups of brawlers, blasts of various types of energy were pockmarking the walls and ceiling with holes, and at least two tables on the left side of the ballroom were on fire, which Tympole would have suspected was Litleo's doing if it weren't for the Fire-type currently being at Professor Archie's ranch.
Tympole spotted a Team Rocket Grunt commanding a Machop nearby, who was currently viciously beating a girl's Mankey. The Water-type quickly fired a Bubble at the Machop, who stumbled backwards from the surprise attack; the girl, quick on the uptake, ordered a Karate Chop from Mankey, who lunged forwards and delivered a blow that felled the Machop where it stood. The Rocket Grunt turned towards Tympole, his eyes narrowed in fury. "Golbat, get that thing and then finish that worthless Mankey!" he ordered, releasing a flier that was a lot larger than a Zubat. The newly-released Golbat flapped its wings menacingly and let out a fearsome snarl, venom bubbling at the edges of its titanic mouth.
And then a massive beam of energy came in from the side and sent the Golbat flying into the nearby wall.
The Grunt blinked, then recalled his Golbat. "You'll regret this!" he yelled, and then turned and ran.
Tympole glanced over towards where the energy beam had come from; his heart leaped as he saw Ash, standing in the center of the room with Genesect floating beside him courtesy of Magnet Rise. The artificial Legendary was firing Techno Blast after Techno Blast, each beam felling at least one Rocket Pokemon and sometimes two or three. The rest of Ash's team was supporting, with Kubfu, Scizor and Kricketune pummeling anyone who got within melee range while Hisuian Growlithe shot Embers and Flamethrowers every which way, though he made sure to aim the fiery blasts away from Genesect.
A loud bang sounded from behind Ash as the doors flew open. Tympole's heart dropped for a moment, suspecting Team Rocket reinforcements, and then it leaped again as he saw Clay and Cyrus charging through; Zubat, Sneasel, Houndour, Murkrow, Drilbur, and Sandile were charging with them, all six firing attacks at any Team Rocket Pokemon they saw.
In the midst of all of this, Drake, Liza, and Aron were strangely not already engaging with Ash. In fact, they looked a lot less fight-happy than usual. Tympole strained his ears to make out what they were shouting at each other over the din.
"Drake, we shouldn't be wasting time arguing!" Liza was calling. "Look around you! This operation has gone completely wrong! We need to get out of here now!"
Drake's eyes were locked on Ash. "I think not," he said. "We can still turn this around. I just need to…" He began to step forwards, moving away from Liza and Aron.
"Drake, what are you doing?" Liza howled. "You heard the boss's orders, we need to retreat!"
"Not a chance!" Drake yelled back. "I'm not giving up on this score because of some brat and his Legendary! Not when I've got the perfect counter!"
He raised a shiny, new-looking Pokeball. "Ditto!" he called. "Get out there and use Transform on the Genesect!"
Tympole's eyes widened as a pink, blob-like Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball and immediately began to swell in size. "Genesect!" he cried, trying to run towards his teammate so that he could get close enough to warn the artificial Legendary. "Genesect, look out!"
But it was too late. Ditto's form was already changing, becoming sharper, sleeker, more angular. Legs and arms grew from its form, while its backside sprouted a massive cannon. As it finished, its color changed from the pinkish color of its base form to a steel-gray color. Tympole stopped moving, watching with horrified eyes as a perfect copy of Genesect rose to its full height in front of Drake.
And then, without a word, it unleashed a Techno Blast in the direction of the real Genesect.
Genesect saw the threat too late. The Ditto-Genesect opened fire, and it was Genesect's turn to be sent flying into a wall. "Genesect!" Ash cried in clear concern.
Drake chuckled. "This operation may be a lost cause, but I'll still take your Pokemon, you brat! Ditto, keep firing! Eliminate all resistance!"
The Ditto-Genesect twisted towards Scizor as Genesect's fellow Bug/Steel-type leaped in. Another Techno Blast came out; Scizor dodged with Quick Attack, but the Ditto-Genesect blurred forwards before Scizor could react and slammed a Metal Claw into Scizor's face. Scizor was knocked to the floor; Hisuian Growlithe launched a Flamethrower at the Ditto-Genesect, only for it to be met with a Techno Blast that overpowered the stream of flames and hurled Hisuian Growlithe away as well.
"THAT - IS - E-NOUGH." Tympole's eyes swiveled over to the real Genesect, who was now emerging from the crater its body had made, its eyes gleaming red. "YOU - WILL - BE - EX-TER-MIN-AT-ED!"
Genesect opened fire with a Techno Blast of his own. The beam of energy slammed into the Ditto-Genesect, sending it flying backwards. It twisted as it flew so that its feet slammed into the wall first; crouching, it pushed off the wall and launched itself at Genesect, one metallic fist drawn back. Genesect hauled back and caught the Ditto-Genesect's punch, though the force of the impact sent Genesect skidding backwards.
Genesect lashed out with its other fist, but the Ditto-Genesect unexpectedly leaped upwards, flipping over Genesect and coming down behind him. Genesect twisted to face the Ditto-Genesect, and the two launched into a rapid-fire exchange of blows, Metal Claws and Quick Attacks clashing in the midst of the now rapidly-emptying ballroom. Tympole saw Team Rocket Grunts and boat passengers alike fleeing from the two dueling Legendaries. Clay and Cyrus were both standing near a wall, watching the fight with clear concern, and on the other side of the room Liza was crouching behind an overturned table alongside Aron, doing the same.
This is absolutely insane! Tympole ducked behind another table and peeked his head out, watching the fight and trying not to quiver. How are we possibly going to get out of this?
"Where are you even going?" a Team Rocket Grunt asked as he ran.
"I don't care!" said the Grunt he was talking to. "Anywhere but that ballroom! I didn't sign up for Legendaries! I swear, if I ever see another Legendary again, it'll be too soon!"
The Grunts burst through a door and emerged onto the deck of the ship. Both stopped short immediately. For rising up out of the water on a terrifyingly-symmetrical waterspout in front of them was none other than Suicune, with Vermillion City Gym Leader Spenser riding on her back.
"All right, I'll only ask once," said Spenser, his eyes gleaming. "Surrender, or Suicune will have to make you."
The second Grunt turned to his fellow. "Oh, this is just not fair."
A loud dual clang emanated from the ballroom brawl as the two Genesect sent each other skidding backwards with well-placed Metal Claws. The duo glared at one another; both their cannons glowed with light, and in the next moment twin Techno Blasts had shot out, meeting in the center of the ballroom. The sheer amount of energy radiating off the beam clash was enough to force Tympole backwards as if he were straining against a heavy wind; Tympole dimly saw Ash recalling his other team members even as he struggled to keep steady in the face of the battling duo.
Neither combatant gave. Neither combatant even flagged. The two beams held steady, and so did their launchers.
"YOU - WILL - NOT - DE-FEAT - ME," Genesect promised.
The Ditto-Genesect remained silent, merely continuing its assault.
Ash's eyes turned to Tympole. "Tympole!" he shouted, his voice barely reaching even Tympole's heightened hearing over the sound of the continued beam struggle. "You need to distract that Genesect somehow! Use Supersonic!"
Drake's eyes widened. "Dragonite, stop him!" he called, throwing the massive Dragon/Flying-type back out onto the battlefield. Dragonite instantly began to charge a Hyper Beam, but it was too late. Tympole inhaled and then unleashed the loudest screech he'd ever unleashed, piercing and audible over all the noise in the room.
He didn't see what happened before Dragonite's Hyper Beam slammed into him and sent him flying into a table, overturning it with a loud crash. Groaning in pain, Tympole rose, looking towards the dueling Genesect pair in the hope that his Supersonic had done something.
And his eyes widened in horror as he realized that he'd succeeded…in the worst way possible.
The Ditto-Genesect was certainly Confused. It was staggering this way and that, unleashing Techno Blasts all over the room, punching massive holes in the walls. Tympole saw Clay and Cyrus ducking away from one, while Drake's Dragonite wasn't fast enough to avoid another, and was tossed into yet another table (Tympole wasn't sure how there were still upright tables in this room, but at this point that was the last thing on his mind.) Worst of all, though, was the multiple holes that the Techno Blasts were punching in the floor - and the fact that the ship was slowly but noticeably beginning to list.
That Genesect copy is punching holes in the ship below the waterline, Tympole realized with a jolt of panic. This ship is about to sink!
Clay had clearly noticed it, too. "Drake, get that Ditto back in its ball!" he yelled to the Team Rocket member.
"Not a chance!" Drake roared back. "I'm not losing this score! Focus, Ditto - snap out of it!"
Clay cursed as the Ditto-Genesect kept firing wildly, narrowly missing Ash with one of its Techno Blasts. "Ash, Cyrus, we gotta get out of here!" he yelled.
"Genesect, Tympole, return!" Ash recalled his two remaining Pokemon and began to sprint for the nearest exit, which Clay and Cyrus were also heading for at a rapid pace.
As Ash ran, Tympole heard Liza call, "Drake, for once he's actually right! That Ditto is going to kill us all if you don't recall it now! Lunatone, get out there and - AH!"
Tympole didn't see what had cut Liza off. All he knew was that the ship was listing dangerously now. Ash, Clay, and Cyrus all burst onto the deck to see an awe-inspiring sight; none other than Suicune, Spenser astride her, with dozens of water-formed tentacles extending from her body, each one holding the struggling form of a Rocket Grunt.
"Spenser!?" Ash cried in shock.
Spenser saw the trio racing up. "Hurry!" he called. "Not even Suicune can keep this ship steady for much longer! Get on a lifeboat and get out of here!"
None of the three needed to be told twice. They leaped into one of the non-full lifeboats, and Suicune swiftly used Surf, hurling the lifeboat off the deck of the S.S. Anne in a wave of water. As the lifeboat landed in the water alongside many others, Tympole peered out of his Pokeball to see the S.S. Anne, its form half-sunken already, tilting upwards even as it sank further and further into the water. As he watched, Suicune crouched and leaped off the ship; Tympole gasped, but Suicune landed upon the water as if it were solid earth, Spenser still atop her and the Rockets still held tightly in her grasp.
"Suicune, use Surf again to propel those lifeboats to dry land!" Spenser ordered. Suicune obeyed, calling upon the water to obey her command once more. As Suicune and the crew and passengers of the S.S. Anne began to make their way away from the sinking ship, Tympole saw two human forms flying away from the ship in the opposite direction atop a Lunatone and a wounded-looking Dragonite.
He paid them little mind. All he cared about was that Ash, Clay, Cyrus, and their Pokemon had all gotten out with their lives. And he contented himself with that relief as the boats and Suicune continued to move towards the faraway land.
Some of you might be weirded out by how I treated the gentleman. But quite literally everything he did was canon. Yes, including trying to weasel out of a clear loss by offering a draw, and trading a Pokemon that had just lost their battle for the Pokemon that had just won that exact battle. Naturally, Ash fell for both of those in canon, because early Ash was dumb as rocks.
Also, Drake's canon Ditto joins his team, Suicune is awesome, and the S.S. Anne, as usual, ends up sinking. Because it just does, no matter the timeline.