Legendary Pokémon possess the ability to alter weather patterns, with weaker ones affecting a city and the strongest capable of sweeping across entire continents. For champions like Cynthia and Lorelei, quelling a tsunami is no daunting task.
Yet, the situation with the gigantic Tentacruel was different. Its destructive power was unleashed with just a casual swipe.
Suddenly, with a deafening crash, the frozen tsunami ahead fractured, causing a hundred-meter-high wall of ice to plummet, engulfing dozens of trainers and hundreds of Pokémon. Even Ash, known for his incredible resilience, might find it hard to escape unscathed.
For most trainers, this crisis was insurmountable. Some directed their Pokémon to defend, while others scrambled for protection. A trainer with an Onix was wise, but those trying to shield themselves with an Eevee looked rather foolish.
Cynthia and Lorelei, focused on the Tentacruel's next attack, couldn't spare attention for the falling ice. They could send their Pokémon for rescue, but feared it would be too late.
Amidst the chaos, a young lad made a bold move. He dashed forward, embracing Pikachu, and turned his back to shield it from the falling ice, shouting, "Pikachu, move!"
"Ash!" Misty and Brock exclaimed from afar. Misty's Pokémon was deploying an ice beam, and Brock's defensive Pokémon was too slow to assist.
In the crowd, a green-haired boy wearing a cap showed a flicker of emotion and coldly instructed, "Save him."
"Was that your idea?" a cool female voice responded. It was Touko!
A girl with pigtails rode a Serperior to the base of the ice, casually taking a bite of a sweet bun, and yelled to her Tyranitar, "Use Hyper Beam!"
With an ear-splitting roar, a golden beam shattered the massive ice block in an instant.
"That's a champion-level trainer…"
Cynthia and Lorelei breathed a sigh of relief. Having such experts around made up for their oversight.
The girl turned to Ash with a smile of approval, "Well done, trainers and Pokémon should protect each other." She was secretly pleased: Wasn't that a stylish move?
Serperior gave a cool snort of agreement.
The boy holding Eevee blushed deeply, hastily apologizing, "Sorry, Eevee!" The previously dejected Eevee beamed, thinking it was nice to have a trainer who could admit mistakes.
Suddenly, Ash's expression changed dramatically, "Watch out behind you!"
The girl spun around to see Tentacruel's massive tentacle lunging at her from behind the ice. It was a trap, intended to eliminate the trainers.
"Mei!" the cold-faced woman cried out involuntarily, and the green-haired boy immediately reacted. Even Cynthia and Lorelei were caught off guard.
Facing an ambush from a near-legendary Pokémon, there was no time for rescue.
Mei felt a sinking feeling: Was her attempt to save others going to cost her dearly?
In the nick of time, a figure appeared before her, a gentle voice speaking, "The falling ice wasn't an accident; a champion-level trainer should be more cautious."
"Metagross, Hyper Beam!"
With a thunderous roar, an even more powerful beam of energy blasted forth with lightning speed.
The dazzling beam struck Tentacruel's tentacle, the fierce force pushing its entire body backward.
"Oh my gosh!" the crowd erupted in shock.
"Did I see that right? Such a huge Tentacruel was blown away?"
"This is unbelievable!"
"Ouch! Bulbasaur, why are you whipping me?"
"You said to confirm I wasn't dreaming? Does that mean I owe you an energy treat as thanks?"
Everyone was stunned by the scene unfolding before them. Just moments ago, Cynthia and Lorelei, two champion trainers, had to join forces with their elite Pokémon to barely hold back the Tentacruel.
This mutated Tentacruel was not only massive but had reached near-legendary status in power. Its casual actions threatened the entire city, and when fully unleashed, it could even alter local weather patterns.
The dark clouds hanging over Blue Pearl Beach were a testament to its formidable strength. Such Pokémon could easily create torrential rains and, combined with its skills, trigger massive whirlpools. The Tentacruel's destructive power was so immense that a single Surf attack could drown the entire Blue Pearl City. Yet, such a powerful creature was forced back by a sudden Hyper Beam.
"This power… not even Cynthia's Garchomp could manage that," Brock murmured in disbelief.
With another thunderous roar, Tentacruel fully emerged from the sea. It swung its thick tentacles, each capable of demolishing buildings. The sky quickly filled with dense clouds, and purple-blue lightning danced within, as the sea level rose visibly.
"Look!" Misty pointed at the sea in alarm. Dozens of waterspouts shot up, resembling giant pillars connecting the sea to the sky. This sight sent shivers down those who recalled the Saint Anne incident.
"More extreme than Gyarados' Dragon Rage…" Jessie's voice quivered, their past ordeal of being scattered across islands still fresh in memory.
Doubters of Tentacruel's power were silenced. Cynthia, with a grave expression, said to Lorelei, "It's completely berserk."
"It's up to Carl now," Lorelei replied, both resigned and relieved. She watched the Tentacruel as it prepared a more powerful attack, gripping her Pokéball tightly.
Carl had initially agreed not to intervene until the military arrived, as a courtesy to the Kanto League. But as soon as he and Cynthia reached the scene, he followed closely behind. However, seeing Tentacruel's prowess, Lorelei was relieved—this beast wasn't something an ordinary near-legendary could handle. She and Cynthia had deployed all their main forces just to barely pin it down.
These champion trainers often sparred with near-legendaries, both to hone their skills and gauge how far they were from the legendary rank. While they couldn't win, they could at least hold their ground. But against a Tentacruel of such size and energy, they were outmatched. It may not have mastered a domain, but its sheer size granted it the power of a low-tier legend.
Consider Team Rocket's extensive resources—strategic weapons and electric nets—used in an attempt to capture it. They prepared the terrain in advance, yet only by chance did they succeed. In this fused world, low-tier legends truly deserved the title, or else they were just mythical Pokémon. So Carl's willingness to act was welcomed by Lorelei, and Cynthia didn't mind at all.
"Air Slash!" Carl calmly assessed the battle. If Tentacruel opted for a one-on-one, he might have called Hoopa for help. Such a powerful Pokémon was beyond ordinary trainers' capabilities. Even with advanced psychic powers and the soon-to-breakthrough Aura, he couldn't match its pace. A whole fleet was needed to deal with a low-tier legendary.
But Tentacruel chose a wide-range attack, impressive in strength but requiring time to charge. This gave Carl a chance to react. With a roar, Metagross spread its wings and soared into the sky, flight energy gathering around it. "Swish!"
Metagross generated a colossal wind blade, several meters wide, slicing through the cloud-laden sky. With a tremendous boom, the thick clouds were forcibly torn open, and the raging waterspouts began to dissipate without the energy to sustain them.