บท 1264: The Trials and Tribulations of the Tentacruel
After the Tentacruel were trapped within the ice mountain created by Lapras, Vivillon and Chimecho immediately surrounded them, intending to assist Lapras in defeating the entire Tentacruel group.
Meanwhile, Reggie's Bibarel, Froslass, and Staraptor held back the Sharpedo group on the other side.
Although Reggie hadn't relaxed in training his Pokémon over the years, managing the daycare had taken up most of his time and energy. As a result, his strength remained at the pseudo-Elite level.
Against an Elite-level Sharpedo, Reggie's pseudo-Elite Bibarel, Froslass, and Staraptor were undoubtedly at a disadvantage. However, they didn't need to defeat the Sharpedo group—just stall them long enough for Yuga to capture the Tentacruel. Especially since both Staraptor and Froslass were adept at hit-and-run tactics, holding off the Sharpedo group wasn't an issue.
The Tentacruel, trapped within the circular ice mountain, were initially intimidated by the imposing presence of Lapras. However, as their desperation grew, they began to furiously thrash their tentacles, trying to break the ice barriers and escape as quickly as possible.
Vivillon and Chimecho were not about to let that happen. Beams of Psychic energy and Confusion shot out relentlessly, striking one Tentacruel or Tentacool after another. Each hit left the target immediately incapacitated.
Both Chimecho and Vivillon controlled the strength of their attacks carefully. Otherwise, as a mid-Champion-level and Elite-level Pokémon respectively, they could have easily pierced through these lesser Tentacruel and Tentacool in no time.
While Chimecho and Vivillon dealt with the lackey Tentacruel and Tentacool, Lapras confronted the giant Tentacruel.
At this moment, the giant Tentacruel was filled with rage. It had already been pushed to the brink by the relentless pursuit of the Sharpedo, and now these new adversaries had appeared out of nowhere to block its path. Enraged, it no longer cared about the fact that it was carrying offspring.
The giant Tentacruel thrashed its remaining tentacles, releasing a surge of purple liquid from its body. The liquid mixed with seawater and surged towards Lapras.
This was Sludge Wave, imbued with Tentacruel's signature toxin. Ordinarily, the toxin wasn't particularly potent, but being confined within the ice mountain meant the seawater couldn't circulate, significantly increasing the likelihood of Pokémon in the poison-laced water getting poisoned.
While the other Tentacruel and Tentacool were unaffected by their leader's poison, Lapras wasn't immune. Even though the toxin wasn't especially strong, prolonged exposure would inevitably harm it.
Lapras quickly noticed the corrosive effect of the poison. Raising its head, it released a blue energy orb into the sky. Moments later, a massive raincloud formed above the sea.
Whoosh!
Torrential rain began to pour.
The abundant Water-type energy over the ocean greatly accelerated Lapras' Rain Dance, resulting in an astonishing downpour. Large raindrops pelted down onto all the Pokémon.
Lapras' ability, Hydration, allowed it to recover from any status conditions under rainy weather. As it bathed in the rain, the corrosive feeling from the poison vanished instantly.
Unwilling to give up, the Tentacruel fired glob after glob of purple poison at Lapras. However, every time it launched an attack, Lapras would counter with an Ice Beam, freezing the poison blobs into icy spheres that fell harmlessly into the sea.
Since the giant Tentacruel was pregnant and Yuga wanted to capture it, he had already instructed Lapras not to use excessive force. Otherwise, Lapras could have easily ended the battle by using Sheer Cold within the confines of the ice mountain. Such an attack would have spelled doom not only for the giant Tentacruel but also for all the other Tentacruel and Tentacool.
With the combined efforts of Chimecho and Vivillon, the lesser Tentacruel and Tentacool were quickly subdued. Seeing Reggie's Pokémon struggling somewhat against the Sharpedo group, they flew over to assist them immediately.
The Sharpedo leader, not yet aware of Chimecho and Vivillon's power, was still fuming over its prey being snatched away. It fought with reckless abandon, and its underlings followed suit.
Amid the torrential downpour, Vivillon, a Bug/Flying-type Pokémon, struggled with the weather, causing it to fly slower. Chimecho arrived on the battlefield first.
As soon as Chimecho arrived, it stepped in to take over the work from Froslass, Bibarel, and Staraptor, allowing them to rest. Each had sustained injuries while trying to hold off the Elite-level Sharpedo.
Although Yuga had instructed Chimecho and the others to simply drive away the Sharpedo, as he had no intention of capturing these violent Pokémon, the leader of the Sharpedo pack had gone berserk. Leading its followers, it launched a ferocious counterattack on Chimecho.
Seeing this persistent and aggressive behavior, Chimecho, who was already a little temperamental, lost its patience entirely.
You think just because I'm a healer, I can't fight? If it's a battle you want, I'll give you one!
By the time Vivillon arrived, Chimecho refused its help, determined to teach these unruly creatures a lesson.
First, Chimecho used Gravity, creating a gravitational field that made the Sharpedo and Carvanha feel as though they were trapped in quicksand. The agility and speed they prided themselves on while in the water were instantly rendered useless.
If Chimecho had gone all out, they would have sunk to the bottom of the ocean by now.
Next, Chimecho's eyes glowed with a flash of purple light, and white whirlpools appeared in the sky. After a few seconds, the whirlpools seemed to gather energy and unleashed high-speed rotating light rings. Each light ring struck a Sharpedo or Carvanha with pinpoint accuracy.
This was the Psychic-type move Future Sight. Chimecho had split it into multiple successive strikes, significantly reducing its power. Otherwise, the Sharpedo and Carvanha wouldn't have stood a chance against its full strength.
Although Dark-types like Sharpedo and Carvanha are normally immune to Psychic moves, the vast level difference between them and Chimecho nullified this immunity.
That said, the immunity wasn't entirely useless. If not for it, the weaker Sharpedo and Carvanha wouldn't have even been able to endure the reduced-power Future Sight strikes.
Before long, the once-fierce Sharpedo and Carvanha were all floating belly-up in the water. Only the leader of the Sharpedo was still barely conscious, stubbornly refusing to faint.
It was only at this point that the leader began to feel fear. It had never imagined that this seemingly small and harmless creature could be so powerful. Their entire group couldn't even withstand a single move.
Too terrifying!
Judging from the energy fluctuations radiating off this "small fry," the Sharpedo leader could tell it was a Psychic-type Pokémon. But weren't Sharpedo supposed to be immune to Psychic moves?
No matter how much it thought about it, it couldn't understand. In the past, whenever it encountered Starmie, Slowpoke, or Slowbro in the ocean, they were always beaten into submission. Why was today different?
Shivering in terror, the Sharpedo leader finally succumbed to a Charge Beam from Chimecho, its eyes rolling back as it fainted.
Watching Chimecho's battle from the sidelines, Vivillon suddenly felt a sense of urgency.
Wow, my sister has become so powerful!
Among the "Three Sisters of the Flower Sea," Florges had always been the top dog, her combat power consistently among the best in Yuga's team. Now, Chimecho had reached Champion level, while Vivillon was still hovering at Elite level.
Vivillon suddenly felt deeply dissatisfied. Florges's case was unique, but Chimecho had the blessing of Deoxys, while it itself carried Genesect's legacy.
No way—I need to work harder when I get back! I can't let my sisters leave me behind! Vivillon resolved silently.
While Chimecho was wrapping up all the Sharpedo and Carvanha, Lapras was also finishing its battle with the giant Tentacruel.
At this moment, the Tentacruel was gasping for breath, looking around at its fallen kin. A wave of hopelessness washed over it.
It was clearly no match for this Lapras. Its kind had barely escaped from the deep sea to get here. Were they all destined for extinction now? Its unborn child hadn't even had a chance to see the world.
Lapras let out a soft, resonant cry toward the giant Tentacruel.
Hearing this, the Tentacruel suddenly stopped resisting.
Lapras conveyed to it that they had no intention of harming it and urged it to stop fighting back.
The giant Tentacruel considered its options. After all, it couldn't defeat Lapras, and its kin were all incapacitated. It was the only one still struggling. If what Lapras said was true, there might still be a chance for survival.
At this point, there was no reason for Lapras to deceive it.
It must be said, the giant Tentacruel was still quite clear-headed.
Yuga and Reggie anxiously waited by the shore, only able to see from a distance the Sharpedo and Carvanha being defeated by Chimecho. Meanwhile, Lapras and the giant Tentacruel remained motionless in the water.
Just as the two were wondering what was happening, the giant Tentacruel began swimming toward the shore, dragging its fellow clan members alongside it, with Lapras accompanying them. Chimecho and Vivillon also used their psychic powers, combined with the buoyancy of the seawater, to drag the defeated Sharpedo and Carvanha ashore.
Chimecho and Vivillon's psychic abilities had limited effectiveness on the Dark-type Sharpedo and Carvanha, making it awkward for the two of them to exert their powers on these Pokémon. Without leveraging the buoyancy of the water, dragging them to shore would have been quite challenging.
Once they reached the shore, Yuga looked at the overturned Sharpedo lying belly-up and turned to Chimecho and Vivillon with confusion. "What happened? Didn't I tell you to just drive them away?"
Vivillon nudged her best friend forward, clearly signaling she wanted no part of the conversation. Chimecho hesitated and, after some fidgeting, admitted she might have accidentally overdone it.
Hearing this, Yuga sighed. "Forget it. You've already brought them back anyway."
He then began negotiating with the giant Tentacruel. After a lengthy discussion, Yuga successfully convinced the Tentacruel to lead its clan to follow him. He then instructed Chimecho to heal the Tentacruel and Tentacool.
From his conversation with the giant Tentacruel, Yuga learned that it was indeed the same Tentacruel that had caused trouble in Kanto's Porta Vista in the past.
Originally, they lived in shallow waters near human habitats. After the Porta Vista incident, they moved to the deep sea.
However, life in the deep sea turned out to be far more treacherous than they had anticipated. The environment was rife with dangers, and high-level Pokémon were everywhere, vastly different from the relatively peaceful shallow waters they were accustomed to.
Because their original habitat had been so safe, the clan's members were numerous but weak, save for the mutated giant Tentacruel. In the deep sea, they had no survival advantages and instead became prey for many ferocious Pokémon.
When the giant Tentacruel first mutated, its size was much larger, and its strength was far greater. But over time, its size gradually began to shrink, and its strength started to decline as well.
In the deep sea, the Tentacruel clan barely clung to survival.
In just two short years, their numbers had plummeted from thousands to just two or three hundred.
To survive, they migrated from one place to another, constantly fleeing. Gradually, the giant Tentacruel's strength stabilized at a pseudo-Elite level, and its height settled at just over fifty meters.
After much wandering, the giant Tentacruel led the remaining members to a calmer area near the Sinnoh region's waters, hoping to live in peace. However, their numbers had dwindled even further by this time, to fewer than a hundred.
The offspring born to the Tentacruel clan were now their most elite members and the females of the group. Most of the males had sacrificed themselves while protecting the clan from predators
In the deep sea, Pokémon like Wailord, Wailmer, and Sharpedo loved to prey on Tentacruel and Tentacool. Even though the giant Tentacruel was a pseudo-Elite-level Pokémon, it still couldn't rise to the top of the food chain.
After finding a stable living environment, the Tentacruel turned their focus to the continuation of their species. As a result, they forcibly took over a group of Armaldoliving in the sea.
Armaldo are ancient Pokémon, and apart from those revived by humans through fossils, they are practically nonexistent in the wild.
The Tentacruel didn't know where these Armaldo came from, nor did they care. The survival of their species was a pressing matter, and as long as the Armaldo could help them reproduce, that was all that mattered.
The offspring growing inside the giant Tentacruel were conceived after it forcibly mated with the leader of the Armaldo group. Despite the significant difference in size between the two species, the Tentacruel succeeded in reproducing.
One had to admit, the Tentacruel were truly fierce. With no males left in their own clan, they even came up with the idea of forcibly using another species to help them lay eggs.
After this incident, the Armaldo group fled the area overnight. The Tentacruel didn't care about their departure—having offspring was all that mattered.
However, their peaceful days didn't last long. Soon, they were targeted by a new group of Sharpedo, the same ones that Chimecho had defeated earlier.
Under the relentless pursuit of the Sharpedo, the giant Tentacruel led its clan in fleeing to this location. Along the way, they suffered further losses, eventually encountering Yuga and his group.
After hearing the Tentacruel's story, Yuga couldn't help but feel deeply moved—it was just too tragic.
Because their habitat had been destroyed by humans, they had to move from the shallow seas to the deep sea. Then, due to their inability to adapt to life in the deep sea, they were hunted. A once-thriving clan of thousands had now dwindled to less than a hundred… It was truly heartbreaking.
Thanks to Chimecho's healing efforts, the Tentacruel and Tentacool gradually regained consciousness. Upon hearing that their leader intended to follow this human, they voiced no objections. After surviving so many hardships, all they wanted was to live peacefully and ensure the continuation of their species.
Yuga was pleased as he gathered all the Tentacruel and Tentacool into Poké Balls. However, when he looked at the Sharpedo and Carvanha still floating in the water, he found himself in a dilemma.
What should he do with these guys?
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