Now that Ash has his second badge with him, Ash and co. leave Dewford Town, and they take a boat to Slateport City. From there they plan to travel to Mauville City. That is where the next gym battle will be. May reminds the group that there is a Pokémon contest in Slateport. Brock says that it will be May's first contest. May has been practicing with Beautifly a lot. Max knows that May will be great. Jessie and James, disguised as the captains of the boat, spy on Ash and co.

Ash and co. appreciate the service they received from the captains. Jessie offers Pikachu some Pokémon food. Pikachu runs to Jessie, and she gives it some Pokémon food. Suddenly, James throws a bag over Pikachu. Team Rocket says their motto. Meowth appears in their Magikarp submarine. Ash sends out Corphish. Corphish uses Crabhammer to cut open the bag. Jessie sends out Seviper, and Corphish uses another Crabhammer on it. Next, May sends out Beautifly. Beautifly uses a strong Gust to blow Team Rocket into their submarine. Finally, Pikachu blasts Team Rocket off with Thunderbolt.

With Team Rocket gone, there is no gas in the ship. The group is just drifting out in the sea. Up ahead, Ash sees a big ship. Perhaps the ship has a radio on board. Ash and co. decide to check it out. It is a gigantic ship. Ash notices another boat hanging from below the ship. Someone else must be on it. A man walks out. His name is Tommy, and he was investigating the ship. Ash wants to know the ship's story.

Tommy tells them that the ship crashed one night, but all of the passengers made it out safely. Tommy wanted to see if the ship could be moved. Tommy then explains that he was a passenger on the ship when it crashed. Because he lost his Marshtomp on that night, he came to see if Marshtomp would still be on the ship. Ash looks up Marshtomp in his Pokédex. Tommy offers them a ride to Slateport City as soon as he's done investigating. Ash and co. appreciates it.

Tommy even gives them snacks and drinks to the group while is is away. Torchic is eating Pokémon food. It sees something behind the door and decides to check it out. In the room, a giant shadow Pokémon jumps out and grabs Torchic. Ash and co. notice that Torchic is missing. They check out the room, but no one is there. May reports to Tommy that her Torchic vanished. Tommy tells everyone to search the whole ship.

Team Rocket has landed inside the ship. They begin to look for a way out. The same shadow Pokémon which happens to be a Swampert creeps up behind Team Rocket. Meowth walks into a room. He encounters Swampert. Swampert pulls Meowth away. Jessie and James turn around, and they notice that Meowth is missing. Ash and co. continue to look for Torchic. Swampert, who is in the water, approaches behind Max and pulls him underwater. When Max wakes up he finds himself tied in thread. Beside Max is Torchic and Meowth.

Ash and co. now search the inside of the ship. They come to a door. The door opens and Marill and Azurill jump out. The ship is the home to some water Pokémon. Max tries to break free from the threads, but he can't. Then Max gets an idea. He asks Meowth to use his foot claws to break free. When Meowth does so, Max promises to free Meowth. Meowth agrees to the deal. He cuts the threads freeing Max. Max then starts to untie Torchic. Meowth is angry that Max broke his end of the deal. Suddenly, a Spinarak approaches them. It uses String Shot to tie Max back together again.

Jessie and James continue to walk along inside the ship. They see a box moving. The box opens and a Golduck pops out. The Golduck walks away. Jessie gets mad at the Golduck for scaring her. Suddenly, Swampert grabs hold of James and pulls him away. James is then brought into the room where Meowth, Max, and Torchic are at. He also is tied up. James isn't too happy to be tied up. Meowth decides to free James with his claws. Max, however, bumps into everyone preventing Meowth from doing so.

Ash, Brock, May, and Tommy continue to search for their friends. Swampert's head surfaces the water. It pulls May down to the bottom. When May wakes up, she finds herself tied up in the same room with the others. Max is still glad that they have three buddies left, so they will be rescued soon. However, James and Meowth only have Jessie left to rescue them. James and Meowth brags about how powerful Jessie is and that they will be rescued in no time at all.

Jessie is looking for James and Meowth. She is all alone in the ship. Suddenly, she hears something. A Wooper comes out and runs from Jessie. Jessie is scared stiff. She gets mad at the Wooper. Then, Swampert comes up to her and brings her to the same room with the others. May and Max are glad that Jessie stopped by. Jessie isn't in the mood for their jokes. She purposely bumps into the group. Then the whole group begins to bump into each other.

Ash, Brock, and Tommy continue their search for May, Max, and Torchic. Swampert's hand surfaces the water. Pikachu sees it and shocks it with Thunderbolt. Swampert jumps on board. Ash looks up Swampert in his Pokédex. Swampert begins to run away from Ash and co. Ash and co. chases Swampert. Swampert jumps into the water. Ash and co. also jumps into the water to follow Swampert. They then surface the water at a secret place. A door is left open. Ash and co. look inside, and they see Team Rocket, May, Max, and Torchic. Swampert and Spinarak are also inside.

Brock orders Mudkip to use Water Gun to blast through the threads. Before Mudkip can attack, Swampert fires a Mud Shot at the Ash, Brock, and Tommy. Ash wants to battle Swampert. He sends out Corphish. Corphish uses Crabhammer, but Swampert dodges the attack. Then Swampert uses Iron Tail and knocks out Corphish. Tommy thinks that the Swampert is the same Pokémon that evolved from his Marshtomp. He tells Ash that he has been with Marshtomp ever since it was a baby, so he would know.

Tommy walks up to Swampert. He tries to get Swampert to remember the good times they have had together. Tommy recalls back the good times he has had with Mudkip and Marshtomp. He tells Swampert that he never meant to abandon it. Swampert forgives Tommy, and the two of them are a team again. Team Rocket, May, Max, and Torchic are then untied from the threads. Tommy apologizes to them for the trouble he has caused. Max tells him that he caused no trouble at all. Now that Team Rocket is freed, they want to capture Swampert. Jessie sends out Seviper. Seviper uses Poison Tail, but Swampert dodges the attack and Tackles Seviper. Then Swampert fires a Hydro Pump, blasting Team Rocket off again.

Brock asks Tommy what his plans are for the ship. Tommy states that the ship has become a home to a lot of Pokémon, so he has decided to stay and fix things up. First, Tommy gives Ash and co. a ride to Slateport City. They approach the city. Brock notices that it is a big city. May can't wait for her Pokémon contest.

English Official Summary

Ash and the gang are headed for Slateport City in a motorboat so that May can try her hand at a Pokémon Contest. Team Rocket is on board, disguised as sailors, and after a failed attempt at capturing Pikachu, they exit the scene in their normal fashion. Unfortunately, now the boat won't start up. Ash and company are drifting at sea when they discover a large, seemingly abandoned ship. They notice that a small boat is along side the ship, so at least one other person must be on board. They soon meet up with Tommy, who explains that he lost his Marshtomp on the ship a long time ago. He offers to give them a lift back to shore after he's done searching. Later on, Torchic suddenly disappears, and Team Rocket, who also arrived on the ship, find they are missing Meowth. Shortly afterwards, Max, James, May, Jessie, and Wobbuffet are also captured. They end up all tied up and hanging upside down thanks to some handy work by a Spinarak and a Swampert. Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and the boy are still looking for everyone when Swampert emerges and Tommy  recognizes it as his Marshtomp. The Swampert runs away and they follow it, find the others and free them. The boy apologizes for losing Swampert and boy and Pokémon are happily reunited. Team Rocket makes another futile attempt at catching Pikachu and is sent blasting off again. The gang leaves in Tommy's boat, headed towards Slateport City.

French Official Summary

Sacha et ses amis déjouent un nouveau complot de la Team Rocket, en haute mer, mais se retrouvent désemparés lorsque le bateau de la Team Rocket refuse de démarrer faute d’essence. Dérivant avec la marée, ils finissent par échouer sur l’épave d’un vieux navire. À bord, ils rencontrent l’un des derniers passagers, qui est revenu pour chercher le Flobio dont il a été séparé lors du naufrage du bateau. Tout heureux d’avoir trouvé un moyen de regagner la terre ferme, Sacha et ses amis lui proposent de l’aider dans ses recherches. Mais tandis qu’ils progressent d’un pont à l’autre, les membres de la petite équipe commencent à disparaître les uns après les autres !

German Official Summary

Ash und Gefährten sind in einem Motorboot nach Graphitport City unterwegs, damit Maike an einem Pokémon-Wettbewerb teilnehmen kann. Team Rocket ist als Matrosen verkleidet ebenfalls an Bord.

Italian Official Summary

Ash e il suo gruppo sono diretti in motoscafo a Porto Selcepoli, per permettere a Vera di partecipare a una Gara di Pokémon. Il Team Rocket è a bordo, travestito da marinai.

Portuguese Official Summary

Nossos heróis se encontram a bordo de um navio abandonado... e então começam a desaparecer um a um!

Spanish Latin America Official Summary

Nuestros héroes se encuentran a bordo de un barco abandonado…. ¡y luego empiezan a desaparecer uno a uno!

Spanish Official Summary

Ash y sus amigos frustran el secuestro por parte del Team Rocket en alta mar, pero acaban en una situación complicada cuando el barco del Team Rocket se avería. Llevados por la corriente, finalmente se paran al chocar contra un barco abandonado. A bordo, conocen a alguien que había ido en ese barco y que ha vuelto a por el Marshtomp del que se separó cuando el barco encalló. Felices de poder volver a tierra firme, Ash y sus amigos le brindan su ayuda al pasajero. Sin embargo, cuando el grupo está buscando bajo la cubierta, empiezan a desaparecer ¡uno a uno!

English Great Britian Official Summary

Ash and the gang are headed for Slateport City in a motorboat so that May can try her hand at a Pokémon Contest. Team Rocket is on board, disguised as sailors, and after a failed attempt at capturing Pikachu, they exit the scene in their normal fashion. Unfortunately, now the boat won't start up. Ash and company are drifting at sea when they discover a large, seemingly abandoned ship. They notice that a small boat is along side the ship, so at least one other person must be on board. They soon meet up with Tommy, who explains that he lost his Marshtomp on the ship a long time ago. He offers to give them a lift back to shore after he's done searching. Later on, Torchic suddenly disappears, and Team Rocket, who also arrived on the ship, find they are missing Meowth. Shortly afterwards, Max, James, May, Jessie, and Wobbuffet are also captured. They end up all tied up and hanging upside down thanks to some handy work by a Spinarak and a Swampert. Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and the boy are still looking for everyone when Swampert emerges and Tommy  recognizes it as his Marshtomp. The Swampert runs away and they follow it, find the others and free them. The boy apologizes for losing Swampert and boy and Pokémon are happily reunited. Team Rocket makes another futile attempt at catching Pikachu and is sent blasting off again. The gang leaves in Tommy's boat, headed towards Slateport City.

Russian Official Summary

Эш и его друзья раскрыли новый замысел Команды Р, но после крушения лодки, Команды Р оказываются в воде. Плывя по течению, они натыкаются на брошенный корабль. Там они встречают одного из пассажиров корабля, Томми, который вернулся в поисках своего Марштомпа, потерянного во время плавания. Счастливые вновь оказаться на суше, Эш и его друзья предлагают пассажиру помощь в поисках. Когда компания продвигается по палубе, один за одним они начинают исчезать. Тёмная тень, которая все это устроила, оказывается Свампертом, который эволюционировал из Марштомпа Томми. Двое друзей воссоединились! Томми замечает, что корабль стал пристанищем водных покемонов, и решает задержаться на корабле вместе со Свампертом, чтобы превратить его в самый лучший дом.

Dutch Official Summary

Onze helden zijn aan boord van een verlaten schip… en ze beginnen een voor een te verdwijnen!

Danish Official Summary

Vore helte befinder sig om bord på et forladt skib...og begynder snart at forsvinde én efter én!

Swedish Official Summary

Våra hjältar befinner sig ombord på ett övergivet skepp… och sedan börjar de försvinna en efter en!