I caught a Pokémon

As the Poké Ball was opened, Misty sent out her Goldeen and Starmie, while Xia You and Ash also released their respective Squirtle. The four Pokémon dived into the water and used Tackle together in front of the nearest window on the boat.

The constant impacts caused the ship's windows to gradually crack, eventually creating a large hole large enough for two people to pass through at the same time.

Moreover, since the opening was completely submerged by seawater, no additional seawater flowed in, and it did not affect the air pressure inside the cabin.

When the Pokémon returned to the group, Brock took out several clotheslines from his backpack and tied everyone's bodies to the Pokémon.

"Hey! Hey!" Seeing that they each had a Pokémon, Jessie said anxiously, "What should we do? We don't have any Water-type Pokémon!"

Xia You then released her Magikarp.

In the anime, Team Rocket escaped the shipwreck thanks to this Magikarp, but now that it has a new owner, it still can't escape this fate.

Kojiro looked down at the lively Magikarp and immediately recognized its origin: "Ah, isn't that the Magikarp from that shady merchant?"

Xia You nodded gently: "That's right, I bought it for 500 yuan."

"That bastard!" Kojiro clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "He even made it sound so nice, but this Magikarp is really only worth 500 yen!"

"Alright," Xia You said to the Team Rocket trio, "Let this Magikarp take you out. But I must warn you beforehand, it looks rather silly and may not understand human language. If anything goes wrong along the way, I won't be responsible."

“That’s right,” Xiaoxia added. “And don’t you dare try anything funny, or we’ll just abandon you and leave you to fend for yourselves!”

"Don't worry!" The Rocket trio quickly shook their heads, looking weak and humble. "How could we possibly cause trouble in such a life-or-death situation!"

"That's right, meow~"

Nevertheless, Xia You pointed at Miao Miao and said, "But just in case, Miao Miao, come with me."

Meow Meow asked in surprise, "Huh? Why? Meow?"

“Idiot, of course I want you to come and be my hostage.” Xia You said, then looked at Musashi and Kojiro. “When we get back to the surface, if you still want to redeem Meowth, you’d better take good care of my Magikarp, otherwise, I’ll have to use it to pay off my debt.”

Upon hearing that she had been taken hostage, Meow Meow looked at Xia You with horror in her eyes, while Musashi muttered under his breath, "How come this guy seems more like a bad guy than we are!?"

After everything was arranged, Xia You put Kirlia back into its Poké Ball and tied Meowth to her waist.

Xiao Gang then picked up a few empty water bottles and handed them to the group.

"I don't know if this method will work, but it's better to be safe than sorry, so everyone should bring it along."

Xia You then took out her phone and snapped a few photos. Although it was unfortunate, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a precious memory.

He then put his phone, Pokédex, and wallet into a plastic bag, sealed it tightly, and then wrapped the bag securely with a raincoat before putting it into his backpack.

Finally, he took out his diving mask, put it on his eyes, and also took out his underwater breathing apparatus.

Although he can swim, he is not a very good swimmer. He can neither swim very fast nor can he open his eyes underwater like these people.

However, this underwater breathing apparatus is actually just a portable small oxygen cylinder. The compressed air inside can provide oxygen for three minutes under normal conditions. It's just unknown how long it can last at this depth.

Apart from him, everyone else had an empty water bottle in their mouths, looking quite comical as they looked at each other with smiles in their eyes.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Xia You put her mouthpiece in her hand, made an 'OK' sign, and then went into the water with them one after another.

The currents below the surface were relatively calm, and with the help of Squirtle, Xia You barely had to exert any effort to be pulled a great distance.

After swimming along the corridor for another ten meters or so, I finally saw the window that had been broken by the Pokémon.

The group left the cruise ship in an orderly fashion, then turned and swam towards the sea.

Sunlight pierced through the seawater, leaving blurry shadows. Visibility was low; everything was pitch black except for a few meters around them.

In the dim light, Xia You could just see Xiaoxia's pair of white legs, swaying right in front of him, quite eye-catching.

She looks just like a mermaid...

At this moment, the water bottles that everyone was talking about began to deform due to the pressure of the seawater, the impact of the current, or their own breathing. They had no choice but to take a deep breath and discard the bottles one after another.

After swimming a few more meters, Xia You took a moment to look back and saw that behind him, Musashi and Kojiro's ropes had somehow become entangled. Their bodies were spinning and creating a reaction force with Magikarp!

Seeing this, Xia You hurriedly pulled the rope around her waist. Squirtle turned around, saw Xia You's gesture, and swam back to Musashi and Kojiro.

Xia You reached out her hands, trying to help untangle the ropes, but the two of them were too tightly bound together, and no matter how Xia You pulled, she couldn't separate them.

Just then, a figure flashed by. It turned out to be Xiaoxia, who had come to help after seeing that the others were falling behind!

Even so, they couldn't untie the ropes immediately. In the end, Meowth couldn't bear to watch any longer and used its sharp claws to break the rope around Kojiro's waist, freeing them from their predicament.

Unfortunately, during her struggle, Musashi accidentally kicked Xiaoxia in the abdomen. Xiaoxia felt a sharp pain and instinctively opened her mouth, instantly spitting out bubbles.

Seeing that Xiaoxia was out of breath, Xia You quickly pulled out the underwater breathing apparatus from her mouth and handed it to Xiaoxia.

Xiaoxia didn't have time to think. She quickly took the respirator, put it in her mouth, and took a deep breath.

This saved her life.

Xiaoxia handed the respirator back to Xia You and gave him a thumbs-up to indicate that she was alright.

Xia You nodded, waved to Squirtle, and, with the help of the two Pokémon, each holding one of Kojiro's arms, swam upwards again.

After the accident, the journey went smoothly from there, and the light above them grew brighter and brighter. Finally, after swimming another ten meters or so, they broke through the surface of the sea and escaped danger completely.

Chapter 32 Summer Festival at Maiden's Gorge

On the sea, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Gang, who had surfaced before Xia You, had already found several pieces of boat plank and pieced them together to create a simple foothold.

Upon seeing Xia You and the others surface, they hurriedly reached out and pulled them up from the sea.

"We're finally saved!"

Kojiro lay on his back on the deck, soaking wet, looking at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling as if he had just walked across the Sanzu River.

Xia You also took off her diving goggles, untied the rope, released Meowth, and at the same time recalled Magikarp back into its Poké Ball.

Under the warm sun, the surroundings were calm and peaceful, with debris from the St. Anne floating everywhere, and not a single person in sight except for them.

Xiao Gang squinted and looked around, then said disappointedly, "It seems that all those who escaped in the lifeboats have left this place."

"So what should we do next?" As soon as Xiaozhi asked, he noticed that Xiaoxia was kneeling on the ground with her back to everyone, and there were two blushes on her face.

"That's strange, Xia, what's wrong?"

Xiaoxia quickly stood up and shook her head.

"It's nothing, I just choked on some water and I'm feeling a little unwell."

She tried to force herself to calm down, but her gaze kept wandering between the respirator in Xia You's hand and the corner of his mouth, and her face turned even redder.

Walking up to Xia You, she abandoned her usual liveliness and arrogance, and whispered, "Thank you so much for earlier."

Xia You naturally understood what she meant.

However, the situation was urgent at the time, and he couldn't care about anything else; saving lives was his top priority.

"You don't need to worry about that." Xia You coughed lightly, but felt that she was trying to cover up something, so she didn't say anything more and turned to Xiao Zhi. "Xiao Zhi, send out your Pidgey and let it wander around the area to see if there are any passing ships or islands."

Ash released Pidgey and gave it a command. Pidgey circled around the heads of the group twice, seemingly finding its way, before flapping its wings and flying away into the distance.

Not long after, when Pidgeotto returned, it seemed to have made a discovery. It landed on Ash's shoulder and kept gesturing with its wings.

As a Pokémon that can speak human language, Meowth takes on the role of translator.

"It says there's a port town not far ahead!"

Upon hearing the word "port," everyone perked up and directed their water-type Pokémon to swim towards the town...

……

Maiden Gorge is a port town located between Vermilion City and Goldenrod City.

Despite its small size, this town is very prosperous. It has a large population and a natural harbor, making it a bustling place with many ships passing through every day.

As soon as Xia You and her companions stepped onto the fine sand upon reaching the port, the Team Rocket trio instantly regained their spirits.

They produced two roses from somewhere and stood back to back.

Taking a gentle sniff of the roses' fragrance, Musashi snorted coldly, "Now that we're here, it's time to say goodbye!"

“That’s right!” Kojiro said nonchalantly, another rose dangling from his mouth. “While we are very grateful for your help, we won’t hold back next time we meet!”

"That's it, meow~"

After saying that, amidst a burst of wild laughter, they turned and ran towards a giant rock on the beach, disappearing from sight.

"I can't stand them!" Xiaoxia sighed. "But I don't have the energy to deal with them right now. I'm all wet and it's so uncomfortable. All I want to do is take a nice hot shower and get a good night's sleep!"

In fact, not only Xiaoxia, but even Xia You is now exhausted after all this ordeal.

"Let's hurry up and go to the Pokémon Center to rest."

Xia You tightened his backpack and was about to walk forward when a strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart. He turned his head to look at a small dock in the distance and saw a woman wearing a white dress with long pinkish-purple hair standing there quietly.

A gentle breeze lifted a strand of her hair, revealing her delicate and beautiful profile.

For some reason, a faint sadness lingered around her for a long time.

Xiao Gang, who was standing nearby, seemed to have also seen the woman. His eyes turned into hearts, and he couldn't help but let out a gasp.

"What a beautiful woman!"

Upon hearing the sound, Ash and Misty looked into the distance, but saw nothing.

"What are you looking at?" Xiaoxia asked curiously. "There's nothing there!"

Xia You blinked, and in the blink of an eye, the woman's figure had vanished!

Continuing on their way, after arriving at the Pokémon Center and checking in, Xia You learned from Nurse Joy where they were.

Maiden Gorge?

The soul of a beautiful woman and Gastly…

Recalling the plot of the animation, Xia You couldn't help but smile. It turned out that they had unknowingly arrived here.

“Oh, right,” Miss Joey said with a smile, “you’ve come at the perfect time. This town is currently holding its summer festival, with a grand parade, bonfire parties, and lots of delicious food. If you can, don’t miss it!”

As girls, Xiaoxia and Xiaozhi, with their boyish hearts, naturally longed for this kind of activity. However, their physical strength had already reached its limit, so after discussing the meeting time, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

In fact, as public buildings that offer free food and lodging, the accommodation environment of Pokémon Centers varies from region to region.

Just like the town of Girls' Gorge where they are now, because the town is small, the Pokémon Center is not very big either. As far as the boys' dormitory is concerned, it is just a clean little room with two bunk beds.

However, for Xia You, the pristine white sheets seemed to possess an immense power, making him yearn to pounce upon them.

Despite this, he forced himself to stay awake, took a quick shower, threw his clothes into the dryer, and then lay down on the bed, where he fell asleep.

As the sun began to set, he slept soundly until dusk, when he finally sat up in bed, still half asleep.

Seeing that Ash and Brock were still fast asleep, he shook them awake and then knocked on Misty's door. The group then met up and left the Pokémon Center together.

At this moment, the entire town was completely enveloped in the festive atmosphere of the festival.

Countless people dressed in their finest attire followed behind floats as they drove through the town. Amidst the laughter and chatter, the mood of everyone, from the town's residents to travelers like Xia You, brightened considerably.

Chapter 33 The Woman from Two Thousand Years Ago

Xia You and the others also entered the crowd and moved slowly forward with the tourists.

Two rows of stalls lined the street, selling all kinds of delicious snacks and other trinkets. Xia You saw that Xiao Zhi was interested, so she bought a few snacks to share with everyone.

When Xia saw Xiaoxia stop in front of a jewelry stall and then leave silently, Xia You went to the stall, carefully selected a hair clip, and bought it for Xiaoxia.

Xiaoxia had a smile on her face. Although she didn't say much, you could tell from her expression that she really liked the gift.

As in previous years, the festival was very lively. They walked a little further and even saw a woman dressed in full costume dancing an exotic dance to the music and cheers of the crowd.

Unlike Xia You and the other two, who were relaxed, Xiao Gang had no interest in sightseeing. He followed behind with his head down, looking lovesick. He was clearly still thinking about the woman at the dock, and he kept muttering something to himself.

"Please wait a moment!"

An old yet powerful voice suddenly rang out behind them.

Xia You turned around and found that it was an old woman with white hair, less than a meter tall, holding a cane and wearing a purple robe.

The old woman had a large mouth and very dry skin, and her eyes, in particular, looked quite sharp.

Xiao Gang was still captivated by the woman's beauty when he turned around and was startled by the old woman's appearance. Caught off guard, he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Wow! There's a dried-up... shriveled old kappa!"

"Who's a kappa?!" the old woman snapped irritably, then her gaze swept back and forth between Xia You and Xiao Gang, and she said mysteriously, "Listen carefully, you two better be careful of beautiful women, or you'll be in for a world of trouble today!"

"What are you saying!" Xiaoxia pouted, glanced quickly at Xia You, and said somewhat awkwardly, "How could I possibly let him suffer!"