"Run! Go on, keep running! Why did you stop?" Kurama kicked the figure tied up firmly on the floor. "Ariados, bind him tighter. This guy is built like a tank; I'm afraid he might slip out if it's too loose."
A giant spider, over a meter long, crawled slowly down the wall. It clicked its sharp fangs, and with a series of hisses, it spat out several strands of white silk, wrapping the figure in a few more layers.
Ariados, a large spider-like Pokémon from the Johto Region. It was a favorite of the Johto police for patrol work; the webs it wove ensured that even the most slippery criminals couldn't escape.
The figure on the floor clearly couldn't handle the humiliation. "If you've got the guts, just kill me!"
The one shouting was Mondo, who had just escaped from Hisoka. His main Pokémon, Machamp, had been disabled, and he had been ambushed by Ariados during his flight, allowing Kurama to swoop in and take him down easily.
"I'm not going to kill you. You're going to prison, and you're going to stay there until you've rotted away!" Kurama loved bickering with people, and his sharp tongue turned Mondo's face a brilliant shade of red.
Boom! Another explosion echoed from somewhere within the S.S. Anne.
Following the sound, the entire hull of the cruise ship began to list heavily to the right.
"Is this ever going to end?!" Kurama cursed loudly. He turned back to Mondo, who had rolled into a corner. "Ariados, pin this guy to the wall. Don't let him slide into the sea."
Cruise Ship Bridge!
"Captain Tiexin, can the S.S. Anne hold on any longer?" Baijie asked, his voice calm.
The violent tilt of the ship had turned the bridge into a chaotic mess.
Captain Tiexin straightened her lopsided hat and looked at the multiple red warning signs flashing on the monitors. She said solemnly, "If it were just the turbine engine explosion from earlier, we could have waited here for rescue from the shore.
But just now, those Team Rocket bastards used bombs to destroy the exterior hull as they left. The interior is flooded with too much seawater. We have to arrange for the tourists to leave via lifeboats immediately. If the S.S. Anne sinks, no one will make it out."
"Then we'll do as you say!" Baijie sighed helplessly. As the Captain said, once the ship foundered, the remaining eight hundred plus tourists would be in grave danger.
In the face of such a disaster, the power of a single individual felt incredibly small.
The severe tilt of the hull made it clear to the passengers that the S.S. Anne was likely about to sink. With their lives on the line, the darkness in people's hearts exploded instantly. The ship descended into a state of total chaos, far worse than when Team Rocket had actually been attacking.
Everyone resorted to any means necessary to secure a spot on a lifeboat. However, the S.S. Anne was only equipped with twenty large lifeboats. Even if overloaded, each could only carry twenty people. Twenty boats meant only four hundred tourists could escape the danger, leaving more than half the passengers behind.
No one wanted to be left on a sinking ship. Pushing, cursing, and physical altercations became uncontrollable.
Hisoka didn't join the eight hundred people fighting over those twenty lifeboats. It wasn't realistic. In such a chaotic mess, by the time one actually fought their way onto a boat, the chance of survival would have already vanished.
When a massive ship of tens of thousands of tons sank, it would inevitably create a terrifying whirlpool the moment it went under. At that point, all living things in the vicinity would be dragged down into the depths with the vessel.
Having finished packing, Hisoka rushed out of his room. He tied the Poké Balls of Lulu, Weavile, and Feebas securely to his tactical belt with dead knots, preventing them from being lost in whatever happened next.
"Mr. Hisoka!" A surprised female voice caused Hisoka to stop as he was weaving through the crowd toward the lower decks.
"It's you!"
Hisoka looked back. The one who had called out was Meiqi, who had left a good impression on him earlier. Beside her stood Ash Ketchum, Misty, and Brock.
Seeing they were about to ask questions, Hisoka immediately cut them off. "There's no time to explain! If you want to live, follow me right now." Without another word, he led the way toward the bottom of the ship's right side, which was already tilting toward the water.
Meiqi followed without the slightest hesitation.
"What do we do?" Ash scratched the back of his head, looking confused.
Brock pondered for a moment before saying decisively, "We follow him. We don't know him well, but it's not realistic to try and snatch a spot on a lifeboat from this many people. If we wait too long and the ship goes under, it'll be too dangerous."
"Brock's right!" Misty nodded in agreement.
With a unified plan, the three of them immediately followed Hisoka's lead and sprinted toward the bottom of the ship.
Hisoka pulled five Diving Masks from his military folding backpack. These water-blue, transparent masks could filter air out of seawater, allowing the wearer to breathe freely without the heavy burden of oxygen tanks.
Their only drawback was that the filtering function lasted only thirty minutes, after which the mask would automatically decompose in the water.
Hisoka distributed the masks to the four people who had followed him and asked, "Who among you has Water-type Pokémon? Bring them out now."
Meiqi and Brock shook their heads.
"I have Squirtle!" Ash pulled out a Poké Ball and released Squirtle.
Misty produced three Poké Balls and tossed them out with a flick of her wrist. "Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, everyone, come on out!"
"Very good, that's exactly one for each of us." Hisoka spoke as he released his own Feebas. Though she had no real combat skills and was quite weak, as long as she could swim, it was enough for now.
The five of them donned their Diving Masks. Ash held onto Squirtle, Meiqi held Staryu, Brock held Goldeen, and Misty held Starmie. Together, they jumped from the deck into the seawater.
The right side, being the first to submerge, was currently the lowest point. It was only a five-meter drop, which wouldn't cause any injury upon impact.
Feeling a slight suction coming from behind them, Hisoka yelled to the four behind him, "The S.S. Anne is sinking! We have to clear the area immediately, or we'll be dragged down with it!"
The group nodded in unison and began kicking their legs with all their might. The Water-type Pokémon they were holding onto understood the urgency and swam forward with everything they had.
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