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After Tentacool evolved into Tentacruel, its strength immediately soared. That massive body and its eighty writhing tentacles made it obvious at first glance that this was not an opponent to take lightly.
Though Tentacruel was a common Pokémon of the sea, the Tentacool line had no shortage of potential. Tentacruel's base stat total was 515 — higher than that of many fully evolved Pokémon.
Moreover, Tentacruel's growth ceiling was immense. Older Tentacruel were often no smaller than a regular Gyarados, especially with their long tentacles, and some who had extraordinary opportunities could even surpass them in sheer size
Many legends of deep-sea monsters around the world were actually inspired by colossal Tentacruel almost as massive as a Wailord.
...…
Sato's Tentacruel's data:
Pokémon: Tentacruel
Level: 30
Type: Water / Poison
Ability: Clear Body
Gender: Male
Known Moves:Reflect Type, Wrap, Poison Sting, Supersonic, Constrict, Acid, Toxic Spikes, Water Pulse, Bind, Acid Spray, Bubble Beam, Barrier
Egg Moves:Aqua Ring, Mirror Coat
Tutored Moves:Giga Drain, Venoshock
Held Item: None
IVs:
HP: 27 (31)
Attack: 25 (31)
Defense: 27 (31)
Sp. Atk: 29 (31)
Sp. Def: 31 (31)
Speed: 30 (31)
Overall IV Rating: Purple tier (Total IV: 169)
...…
With the evolution complete, the interrupted battle resumed. Since most of the battlefield water had already been poisoned by Tentacruel's Toxic Spikes, Sato's opponent sent out Swellow to face it.
Sato, however, did not switch Pokémon. Instead, he left the fired-up Tentacruel to handle Swellow.
But Swellow had the advantage of flight and incredible agility. Tentacruel's ranged attacks almost never connected, while Swellow constantly struck back with sharp counters.
Even so, Tentacruel could always dive into the water to evade, and Swellow's airborne ranged attacks weren't enough to seriously threaten it. What's more, Tentacruel continuously healed itself with Aqua Ring. Even if it failed to dodge and took damage, it could retreat underwater to recover.
Thus began a long stalemate.
Overall, the situation still favored Tentacruel — it could swim and dive effortlessly without much energy spent, while Swellow had to keep flapping its wings, burning stamina.
After nearly thirty minutes with no progress, the blond youth finally lost patience. Swellow was drenched in sweat, its stamina heavily drained. If he didn't act, his Pokémon would collapse from exhaustion.
He gave the reckless order for Swellow to use Brave Bird, betting everything on a desperate strike.
This was exactly what Sato had been waiting for.
There was little suspense: Swellow's Brave Bird struck head-on, but it couldn't take down Tentacruel, who had already stacked Barrier three times and restored itself to peak condition with Aqua Ring. Instead, Tentacruel's many tentacles snared Swellow, dragging it into the water.
Seeing this, the blond youth immediately gave up hope of victory and surrendered.
...…
After that battle, Sato went on to face five more trainers that evening. His record for the night was four wins and two losses.
Through those six 2-vs-2 battles, Tentacruel reached Level 31, while Lanturn grew to Level 29.
Both Pokémon had means of recovery — Tentacruel with Aqua Ring, Lanturn with its Water Absorb ability. This saved Sato much worry, and more importantly, a large amount of medical expenses.
When the battles ended, he returned to his room, shared a hearty midnight meal with his two Pokémon, and began his usual meditation training.
But his meditation was abruptly interrupted in the dead of night by a booming clap of thunder.
The sea's weather was fickle — wind could shift at any moment. Past midnight, a violent storm suddenly struck. The ship rocked dangerously among crashing waves and lashing rain, waking everyone aboard.
"This storm's power is no joke… Could this be the foreboding I sensed earlier?"
Using his telekinesis to hover above the cabin floor, Sato avoided being tossed about by the ship's swaying. Through the window, he gazed out at the torrential rain, the raging sea, and the flashes of lightning, worry clouding his thoughts.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning as thick as a millstone split the sky and struck the sea near the cruise ship.
For an instant, the night was lit up like day — and Sato's eyes caught a colossal shadow looming within the dense clouds overhead.
At the same time, the shadow seemed to notice the ship struggling below. A pair of glowing crimson eyes peered down through the storm.
The moment Sato saw those vast red eyes, a bone-deep sense of dread struck him. Instinctively, he tore his gaze away, unable to look directly at it.
But the lightning flash lasted only a moment. When he looked again, the shadow was gone. Even when the next lightning bolt lit the clouds, there was no trace of it.
"What was that shadow in the clouds? Could it have been Lugia? … No, the outline didn't seem to match."
Staring blankly at the thick cloudbank in the distance, Sato tried to recall the shape he had glimpsed, deep in thought.
He was beginning to suspect that this sudden storm had been stirred up by that enormous creature hidden in the clouds.
Sure enough, just as he guessed, the storm quickly weakened after the shadow vanished. Soon, the sea calmed, and the sky cleared to reveal a canopy of stars.
Even so, most passengers remained shaken. It would be a sleepless night for nearly everyone aboard.
...
Meanwhile, dozens of nautical miles east of the cruise ship, more than ten wooden boats sped across the sea.
The ragtag crews strained at long oars while commanding Water-type Pokémon to pull the vessels with ropes, and Flying-types to fill the sails with wind.
Behind them, a thick sea fog spread quickly, engulfing the waters. And within that fog, faint flickers of firelight glowed.