Hey guys, TheDoctor1998 here with another chapter! Last time, the greater organization of Team Rocket that Jessie, James, and Meowth are a part of infiltrated and captured the St. Anne in an effort to acquire large amounts of Pokémon, only for the ship to drift into a storm during the conflict. Unfortunately, the ship sank, and while most people managed to get away, the gang and the Team Rocket trio were still on board as the St. Anne had sunk to the ocean floor.
Now, on with the show!
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An Officer Jenny stood on the bow of a boat floating where the St. Anne sank, holding a bouquet of white flowers. "At first, the captain thought all passengers and crew had gotten safely off the St. Anne, but now we've discovered that three people were still on board. Cinder Ketchum, a talented and aspiring Pokémon trainer. Misty Waterflower, one of Cerulean City's Gym Leaders and fourth of the Cerulean Sisters. And Brock Harrison, former Pewter City Gym Leader and aspiring Pokémon breeder."
She started getting teary eyed, remembering what she'd heard of the trio from her family. "It's nothing short of a tragedy to see these children have their lives so tragically cut short. May these flowers honor your memory." Officer Jenny then threw the bouquet into the ocean, both she and the officers behind her giving a salute to honor the fallen as another officer played a trumpet.
'I have to inform their families.' The officer thought somberly. It was never a good feeling to inform people of the deaths of their loved ones. At least, from what eyewitnesses had said, she can tell that they went out like heroes.
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Meanwhile, back on the mainland, the Boss of Team Rocket was not a happy man. The attack on the St. Anne was nothing short of a failure. Not only had his forces been beaten far too easily for his liking, but they didn't even manage to snag a single Pokémon before being quite literally blasted off the ship.
Thankfully, most of his forces were relatively unharmed. Beaten and bruised, but they'd live as long as the Boss would let them. All but one squad, that was.
Normally, the Boss wouldn't care. If the situation was any different, he'd have disposed of both Jessie and James for their annoying quirks and sold that Meowth on the black market a long time ago. Sure, they're reasonably competent, but they were just so annoying.
But the fact that he'd sworn to Miyamoto he'd look out for Jessie changed things.
The Boss remembered Miyamoto from long ago, back when his late mother, Madame Boss as she was known, was in charge of the organization. Miyamoto was one of his best friends, his literal partner in crime, and practically a sister to him in all but blood on top of being one of the most skilled agents of Team Rocket. She was even picked by both himself and Madame Boss to pursue some of the most dangerous and difficult missions the organization had in store.
And that's where it all went wrong.
One day, the Boss got wind of a Legendary Pokémon being spotted in the tropics, and Miyamoto volunteered to search for it. This was going to be the greatest and most difficult mission she'd ever do, and if successful, she'd practically secure the future of Team Rocket.
However, due to the nature of the mission, Miyamoto asked the Boss to look out for her daughter if something were to go wrong. While the Boss dismissed her worries, even he had to admit her concerns were valid. So, he swore an oath on both his mother's grave and, should the worst come to pass, Miyamoto's grave that he'd look out for little Jessie.
And then Miyamoto didn't come back, with only pieces of her body having been found, likely having been mauled to death by the more savage animals that call the jungles home.
The Boss may have been many things. Ruthless, devoid of empathy for most people and Pokémon, cunning, cruel. But one thing he wasn't, was someone who'd willingly break a promise. So, over the years, he looked out for Jessie from the shadows, as well as her friends James and that talking Meowth, doing what he could without raising suspicion.
Unfortunately, the trio failed to get away from the St. Anne. His men had told him that they'd managed to hold out where the others failed, and likely went down with the ship when it sank.
"I'm sorry, Miyamoto, my old friend." He sighed, looking into a picture of the woman in a pendant of his, which he kept to honor her memory. "I've failed you."
Persian, noticing her owner's distress, started rubbing her head on his arm, quietly meowing.
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To say that Cinder was feeling like shit was an understatement. As she started waking up, she felt like she was just thrown into traffic, not to mention the dizziness.
"Cinder!" She heard a familiar voice call to her. Brock, maybe?
"Please, wake up!" Another voice called, definitely Misty.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried to her, urging the blind trainer to use her Aura again, despite the fact she was already feeling drained and hurt.
And what she saw through it definitely surprised her, as her friends seemed to be standing upside down on something above her.
"Are you feeling okay, Cinder?" Brock asked, concerned as he looked down at her.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cinder groaned, holding her head. "Why are you guys upside down?"
"You're the one who's upside down." Misty corrected, pointing right next to Cinder.
Cinder quickly felt around, noticing that her long hair was being pulled by an invisible force above her, as well as both her jacket and skirt being caught by something. She then realized something, her brain fully snapping back into reality.
She was the one who was upside down, held in place by something that caught her jacket, which thankfully also prevented her skirt from flipping. "What the-?!" She exclaimed before freeing her clothes, causing her to fall down. Thankfully, her friends quickly caught her. "Okay, can someone tell me what the fuck happened?" She groaned.
"Just use your Aura to take a look out of the window." Misty said, pointing to the supposed window.
Cinder did as told, and to her horror, she saw the Auras of various forms of marine life swimming past. "We- we're at the bottom of the fucking ocean?!" She screamed, the reality of the situation having set in. And to make things worse, the St. Anne had settled on top of a seamount, dangerously balancing above a trench.
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Meanwhile, Jessie and James were chilling on a tropical beach, sitting in a pair of beach chairs in their swimwear, enjoying the sun. They'd gotten this vacation from the Boss after another successful mission, as they deserved.
"To protect the world from devastation." Jessie sighed, content.
"To unite all people within our nation." James sighed next to her, equally content.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love." Both said. "To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Ahh, Jessie." Jessie sighed again.
"James, with a perfect tan."
"There's nothing like a tropical vacation." Jessie said, stopping the motto.
"The blue sea." James agreed.
"The white sand."
"And the blazing sun above." The blue haired man gestured to the celestial body.
"Ahh, the sun." Jessie agreed.
"Yes, that blazing sun, fiery and burning." James said, starting to grow a little uncomfortable from the heat. "Burning!" He screamed, suddenly feeling like he was in pain.
"Something's really burning!" Jessie yelled, also feeling the pain.
"You two picked a bad place for a nap!" Meowth screamed, waking the two up from their shared dream as he tried to drag them away from an upside down kitchen stove spewing fire at the duo.
Jessie and James, their uniforms on fire, started running around in a panic before rushing towards some burst pipes, dousing the fire with the water that sprang from them.
Once they calmed down and exited the kitchen, Jessie immediately noticed something odd. "Why is everything upside down?"
"The ship capsized and sank while we were sleeping." Meowth explained, standing in the doorframe.
James started panicking again. "We've gotta abandon ship immediately!"
Meowth sighed, staying calmer than his partners. "I'm afraid it won't be so easy, considering we're at the bottom of the ocean."
"The ship's sunk?!" James panicked. "We're doomed!"
"Calm down, James!" Jessie yelled, giving James a slap in the face to bring his senses back, even if she herself was still panicking. "I've got just the thing to get us out of here." She grabbed her Pokéball from her belt, expanding and throwing it. "Ekans, go!"
Ekans immediately sprang from his Pokéball, seeing his mistress hurt as he rattled his tail. "Ekans!"
"Ekans, Acid on the floor!" Jessie commanded. "We'll use the hole to escape!"
"Wait, don't!" Meowth yelled, already seeing a glaring flaw in the plan.
It was all for naught though, as Ekans immediately followed Jessie's orders, spewing a stream of acid from his mouth and onto the floor, melting a hole through. Soon after, a powerful stream of water erupted from the hole, much to Jessie and James's shock.
"Didn't I tell you numbskulls we're sinking?!" Meowth exclaimed. "We don't need another hole on this ship!" Soon, the water flooded the corridor, the two humans and two Pokémon starting to drown as they were swept away by the current.
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"So, do you guys have any idea on what to do?" Cinder asked her friends, the trio now having reached the upside down staircase with a pool of water just one floor below them.
"We've gotta keep calm." Misty said, determined to get herself and her friends out of this. "As long as this big bubble of air is in the ship, it'll take time for the ship to flood and fill up."
"Sure, but we shouldn't waste time." Brock said. "Who knows how long it'll last."
"Well, maybe we should get to the deck to get out of this ship." Cinder suggested. "And seeing as we're flipped upside down, we should dive down to get there."
"But if we dive down and come across a dead end, we're finished." Brock warned, not wanting anyone here to drown.
"Then we should send in our Water Types to scout out." Cinder said, grabbing two Luxury Balls. "Squirtle, Krabby, I need you my friends!"
"Good idea." Misty nodded, grabbing all but one of her own Pokéballs. "Misty calls Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen!"
All five Water Types were quickly released, with all of them drifting in the water, waiting for a command.
"Guys, scout ahead down there." Cinder told the Pokémon. "If you find a way out, call the rest and meet up back here."
The Pokémon nodded, all of them diving down and going through different corridors. Except for Krabby, who was simply walking on the flipped ceiling. Unfortunately, wherever they went, they could only find blocked pathways. Collapsed corridors, bulkheads that were sealed and warped shut. Krabby found a pocket of air that people would need to go through to go further, but he could already smell it was filled with toxic gasses that would've definitely rendered him unconscious if he didn't dive back down immediately.
Goldeen, meanwhile, found a familiar duo of humans and two of their Pokémon, all of them alive and drowning. "Goldeen!" She called upon the others, asking for help. They may have been criminals, but she wouldn't just let them die if she could help it.
"You think they're doing okay down there?" Cinder asked, concerned as she waited for her friends.
"I hope so." Misty answered.
Then, something broke the water. At first, Misty and Brock thought it was a couple of corpses and screamed, until Misty's Pokémon tossed them out, revealing Team Rocket.
"They're still alive!" Cinder said, recognizing the somewhat fainter Auras.
"They look terrible." Brock said, concerned as the trio and Ekans hacked up the water in their lungs as one.
"Prepare. Prepare for trouble." Jessie said weakly.
"Yes, make it double." James continued, equally as weakened.
Then, the duo recognized the three humans above them. "You!" James grabbed his Pokéball, ready to release his Koffing.
"Wait, stop!" Cinder called, stepping between her friends and enemies. "We've got bigger issues right now than a battle!"
"And why should we listen to you?" Meowth asked, Ekans hissing beside him.
"What's more important, a Pokémon battle, or your life?" Misty asked.
"They're right, good point." Jessie agreed, calling Ekans back as James put Koffing's Pokéball away.
"Look, we're in a life or death situation right now." Cinder said, trying to convince Team Rocket. "If we fight each other, we'll likely all die here. If we work together, we might just survive this."
Jessie growled, but nodded. "This is just a temporary truce until we get out of this mess."
"Guys, did you find a way out?" Cinder asked the Water Types, her own having just gotten back, only to receive negatives from all of them. "We'll need another way to escape."
"Leave it to me." Misty smiled. "I built an extremely accurate model of this class of ship before, so I know all about the structure of the St. Anne. Since the way to the deck is blocked, we'll have to climb up to the bottom of the ship. Once we're there, we'll just need to cut a hole in the hull to escape."
"It's better than nothing." Cinder agreed reluctantly. "Does this staircase lead there?"
"No." Misty shook her head. "That one won't do. There's a staircase in the hall that'll lead to the lower decks."
"You mean that one?" Brock asked, pointing to a staircase above them out of their reach. Receiving a nod, he quickly pulled out a Pokéball. "Onix, make a staircase!"
"Geooo!" The giant rock snake growled, quickly biting a ledge and using his body to allow his partner and his friends to get back up.
"Let's hurry!" Brock yelled, running up Onix's back.
"Right!" Cinder nodded, pulling out two Luxury Balls again. "Squirtle, Krabby, return!" Once her Pokémon were back in their Pokéballs, Cinder followed Brock.
"Return!" Misty said, returning her Pokémon as well before turning to Team Rocket. "Let's move it or lose it!"
"Yes ma'am!" The trio said, rushing after Misty.
Quickly, the group entered another corridor, though this one had all electricity cut out, causing it to be swallowed in darkness. "The lights are out, we can't see anything." Brock said.
"Oh no, what a nightmare." Cinder sarcastically said, rolling her eyes.
"Sorry." Brock apologised.
"Charmander, I need you my friend!" Cinder said, releasing her Fire Type, allowing his flame to light up the darkness for her friends. "So, where are we going?" She asked, turning to Misty.
"This corridor leads straight to the engine room." Misty explained. "That's where the hull is at its thinnest. With a little luck, we should be able to cut our way through."
The group eventually reached the end of the corridor. Misty opened the steel door, revealing an upside down staircase leading up to the engine room. However, the ceiling of the room, which was now the floor, was completely on fire.
"What the hell?!" Cinder yelled, feeling the heat, smelling the smoke, and hearing the flames. "Is the room on fire?!"
"Jessie?" James started, crying as he held the hands of his partner.
"Yes James?" Jessie asked, also crying.
"Whoever said beauty doesn't last forever must've been thinking of us." He sniffled.
"I'll never forget you, James." Jessie cried, hugging him.
"Neither will I!" He cried. "See you on the other side!"
"Will you two knock it off already?!" Misty interrupted. "There's gotta be another way off this ship! I don't want to die here today, and I'm sure you two idiots don't either!" She then calmed down, starting to think. "There must be something we haven't thought of yet."
Cinder then thought of something. "Bulbasaur, Butterfree, Beedrill, I need you my friends!" She called, releasing her Pokémon. "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip, make a rope to the other side! Butterfree, Beedrill, use String Shot to reinforce him!"
"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur nodded, releasing a pair of vines from below his bulb and grabbing something behind the open door. Then, the two Bug Types quickly spit their sticky webbings from their mouths, creating ropes to the floor above to assist the Grass Type.
"Good idea Cinder!" Misty smiled.
"Yeah, we can cross the vines to the other side!" Brock agreed.
"Let's get outta here!" Cinder said as she and her friends started using Bulbasaur's vines as an uneasy bridge.
James was whimpering behind them, though, nervously glancing at the fires below. "I can't cross that inferno!" He yelled, fearing for his life. "Jessie, Meowth, you two go ahead! Just leave me behind and take care of Koffing for me!" He told his teammates, holding out his partner's Pokéball.
"James!" Jessie screamed, slapping her partner in the face to bring him back to his senses. "I'm not letting you die down here, you idiot!" Once her anger subsided, she gave him a gentle smile. "Now let's go, we'll cross this bridge. Together."
"Thank you, Jessie." James cried, hugging his friend.
"Don't worry, I'll lever leave you." She hugged him back.
"Hey, Team Rocket!" Cinder called down to them. "Move it already, we don't have all day!"
"Sorry about that!" Meowth yelled back, not wanting to get left behind as he ran on the vines with his teammates following him more slowly. "James got scared, and we didn't want to leave him!"
Once Team Rocket got over the obstacle, huffing and puffing, Cinder pulled out a Luxury Ball. "Bulbasaur, return!" She said, shooting the capturing beam over the flames to bring her Grass Type back.
"Now I know what a toasted marshmallow feels like." Meowth chipped.
"Well, we're here." Misty said. "Now we just need to punch a hole through the hull."
"We can use Charmander to weld through." Cinder said, turning to her Fire Type.
"Good idea!" Misty nodded, once again grabbing her Pokéballs. "Alright everyone, we need to grab ahold of a Water Type and use them to swim up!"
"Wait, we don't have a Water Type!" Jessie panicked. "What are we supposed to do?!"
Before anyone could answer, James started laughing like a maniac.
"I don't see what's so funny, James." Jessie said, concerned.
"The poor guy must've lost his mind." Meowth told her.
"You two really made fun of me." James snickered. "But who's got the last laugh now? A true genius is never appreciated until there's trouble. I knew we'd need this one in a tight spot!" He exclaimed, holding his gold painted Pokéball.
"Oh, right, you got that Magikarp!" Jessie and Meowth smiled.
"Feast your eyes on the King of Carp!" James laughed, feeling vindicated.
"You're the best, James!" Jessie said, hugging him.
"I take back all the jokes I made about that fish!" Meowth agreed.
"Go, Magikarp!" James said, releasing the red fish, causing him to flop on the ground.
Cinder nodded in approval. As weak as the species was prior to evolution, they were excellent swimmers. "So, is everyone ready?"
"Yes!" She heard, everyone being tied together and with all the Water Types they collectively had.
Cinder held up two Luxury Balls again. "Butterfree, Beedrill, return!" She returned her bugs before turning to her Fire Type. "Charmander, use your Flamethrower to weld through!"
"Char!" The Fire Type nodded, shooting his flames upward.
Cinder turned towards Krabby, handing him a Luxury Ball. "Krabby, I'm trusting you with a very important task."
"Kokee?" The little crab asked, tilting his body in a questioning way.
"Should the worst thing happen and we're too far down to reach the surface before drowning, I want you to return Pikachu to his Pokéball." She said.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu turned to his partner, shocked, if you pardon the pun.
"Pikachu, there's a good chance us humans are going to drown." Cinder sighed. "I don't want to die, but I'll make sure you're safe if the worst comes to pass. This is not up to discussion."
"Kokee!" Krabby nodded, climbing on Squirtle's back.
Pikachu only sighed. He understood where Cinder came from, but he hoped and prayed to Arceus that she'd be fine.
"He's almost through, guys!" Brock called, prompting Cinder to ready Charmander's Pokéball.
And just as planned, Charmander opened a square hole in the hull, allowing the water to come rushing through. And as expected, Charmander started running for his life, keeping his tail as far from the water as possible.
"Charmander, return!" Cinder said, putting Charmander back in his Pokéball. "Everyone, swim!"
The Water Types nodded, and quickly started swimming upstream. Even Magikarp started swimming, wanting to go back into the water.
The group quickly went up, with the humans starting to get dizzy from both the lack of air and from going up with that kind of speed. Below them, the St. Anne finally lost its balance due to the sudden flood, and fell down below into the trench.
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Once the group had broken to the surface, they immediately set up to make a raft. Using the floating debris around them and the String Shots of Cinder's bugs, they'd quickly managed to build a workable raft.
"So, any idea how to get back to dry land?" Cinder asked, laying on her back from the exhaustion.
"I remember a story from the Book of Arceus." Brock piped up, mentioning the most dominant religious text. "After Kyogre created a flood, Noah sent a Flying Type Pokémon to search for new land created by Groudon."
"Better than nothing, I suppose." Cinder said, grabbing a Luxury Ball. "Pidgeotto, I need you my friend!" Once her Flying Type was released, the trainer gave her some instructions. "Pidgeotto, fly around, see if you can spot some land."
"Pidgeo!" The bird cried before flying away. Hours later, after the sun went down and the night fell, Pidgeotto returned.
"Find anything, girl?" Cinder asked, only to receive a negative in response. "It's okay, you tried your best." She sighed, returning her.
Brock quickly set up some bedding, for as much as he was able to do so. "We'll need some sleep, make sure to keep up our strength."
And so, both the gang and Team Rocket fell asleep, both being more concerned about survival than doing something about the other.
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The next morning came, and both the gang and Team Rocket were hungry, as they had no food with them. "It seems like forever since we last ate." Brock said, holding his stomach.
"If I'd known I was gonna be starving, I would've stuffed my face full back on the St. Anne!" Misty yelled, frustrated.
"You did stuff your face back there, Misty." Cinder scoffed, trying to alleviate the situation with a bit of humor.
"Oh, I want some food." James moaned.
"Stop it!" Jessie snapped at him.
"Yeah." Meowth weakly agreed. "The whining only makes everyone feel hungrier."
Jessie and James, however, didn't hear them. Both of them were staring at James's Pokéball containing Magikarp, imagining how they could eat the poor thing.
"Gotta eat something." Jessie groaned. "Like filleted carp."
"Or fried carp." James agreed.
"Fresh, marinated carp."
"Carp flambé."
"That's it!" Meowth snapped, lunging at the Pokéball and releasing Magikarp. "Dinner is served!" He then proceeded to bite the Water Type, only to receive a sharp pain in his teeth. "AAAHHH!"
"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Misty scolded. "Magikarp are little more than scales over bones."
"I wish you'd said that sooner." Meowth groaned.
"Ugh, not only is this worthless fish unable to battle, but we can't eat it either?!" James groaned, frustrated.
"See, I told you you were an idiot for buying that thing!" Jessie snarled at him.
"You good-for-nothing fish, I don't want to be your master!" James yelled at Magikarp before kicking him away. "Good riddance."
"You didn't have to be such an asshole about it." Cinder glared before noticing something about Magikarp's Aura. "Oh, shit."
Just like she saw months ago with both Pikachu and her bugs, Magikarp started glowing, growing and changing his shape. Once the glow subsided, a giant blue sea serpent swam in his place, roaring as he triggered Cinder's Pokédex.
"Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon and the evolved form of Magikarp. A Water/Flying Type.
Ability: Intimidate
Hidden Ability: Moxie
Entry: This Pokémon has a vicious temperament, and is known for its violent rampages. It's known to destroy everything in its path during said rampages.
Evolves from: Magikarp when strong enough"
James, seeing how his investment turned into this vicious creature, smirked. "Gyarados, I am your master! Now, obey me!"
Gyarados, remembering the kick he received as a Magikarp, only roared in rage at his supposed master.
"Dimwit!" Jessie insulted her partner. "You're its master, don't act like you're scared of it!"
"But I am scared!" James whimpered.
"Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, tow this thing away!" Misty urged, calling her Pokémon.
"Squirtle, Butterfree, Beedrill, Pidgeot, help them!" Cinder urged as well, calling her Pokémon.
All of the Water Types quickly leapt into the ocean and started swimming for their lives, pulling the raft by the various ropes and strands of silk holding it together. The two Flying Types and the flying Poison Type did the same, with the two Bug Types creating new silk to pull the raft along.
Gyarados wasn't having it though. He wanted his revenge, and rushed after the raft, firing blasts of water at them.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Cinder said, pointing at the Gyarados.
Pikachu immediately followed his partner's command, and fired a stream of electricity at the sea serpent. Gyarados roared in pain, his newfound achilles heel causing tremendous amounts of damage. Yet, he wasn't deterred, simply slowed down and forced to keep his distance. Then, he started roaring again, though strangely not at the raft.
"What's he doing?" Cinder asked.
"He just evolved, maybe he's starting to tire out." Brock offered, though he was still uneasy.
"Yes!" Team Rocket cheered.
"Unless the stories are true." Misty said, cutting the celebration short. "Sailors who've encountered Gyarados tell of some of the most terrible stories. I think he might be calling for backup."
And just as Misty predicted, four more Gyarados popped out of the water, following James's former Gyarados in his rage.
"Help, we're Gyarados bait!" James prayed to whatever deific Pokémon would listen.
"We're doomed." Meowth shook, hugging Pikachu, who was afraid enough to hug the feline back.
The Gyarados then started gathering energy in their mouths, before firing as one. What came out were cyclonic whirlwinds of pure draconic energy, fusing together to form one massive tornado.
"That's Twister!" Misty grunted. "Everyone, hang on!"
Unfortunately, they couldn't. The moment the combined Twister hit the raft, all the people and Pokémon on board were lifted up into the air and tossed around like clothes in a laundry machine.
The last thing Cinder did before blacking out was pray to Arceus that she and her friends would be alright.
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Pokémon Seen: 43
Pokémon Caught: 14
Cinder's Pokémon: Pikachu (M), Butterfree (M), Beedrill (F), Pidgeotto (F), Clefairy (F), Bulbasaur (M), Charmander (M), Squirtle (M), Krabby (M)
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And that's a wrap. The gang and Team Rocket managed to escape the St. Anne, only for James's new Magikarp to evolve and attack their raft, flinging them to who knows where.
I also decided to make a few changes about how they escaped that just made sense to me, but these changes were relatively minor, such as the group readying the Water Types before Charmander got through the hull.
TheDoctor1998 here, signing out!