Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Humans and the Ocean
Even the super-giant Tentacruel, no matter how energetic it had been, was now showing signs of fatigue. Red's Pokémon, on the other hand, all wore excited smiles, having thoroughly enjoyed their "live target."
'This guy is much easier to deal with than the Ancient Dragonite!' Charizard said with a laugh, already treating the colossal jellyfish as a warm-up.
'Yes, yes!' Pidgeot echoed, its beak twitching uncontrollably, amused by the Tentacruel's miserable state.
'Hmph! All that massive body but no strength? What a boring opponent!' Scyther said disdainfully, rubbing its scythes, which were soaked with seawater.
'I'm enjoying myself!' the Blood-Red Gyarados said excitedly, once again using its massive tail to repel the supergiant Tentacruel.
'I can only do the task of cleaning up the small fries!' Onix cried, not forgetting to continue knocking down the newly recovered Tentacool with a Rock Slide.
'The seniors are all so strong… I also want to evolve quickly and become a fighting force for my master!' Feebas yearned, wanting to improve its strength as soon as possible.
The scarred supergiant Tentacruel witnessed the tragic state of its subordinates, tears welling in its eyes. It had only wanted to reclaim the habitat that rightfully belonged to its family. Destroying parts of the city was merely a warning to the humans.
(What did we do wrong… why are we treated so unfairly!)
The giant Tentacruel stopped resisting the attacks, closing its eyes as if resigned to its fate, waiting for judgment.
The Blood-Red Gyarados, who was about to attack again, pulled back its tail under Red's warning gaze. Red then jumped onto Pidgeot's back and faced the super-giant Tentacruel, looking directly at it.
"Power of Viridian," Red whispered, his body emitting a soft, emerald light that flowed out to heal the colossal Pokémon.
'Why?' the Tentacruel looked at Red in confusion. 'Shouldn't you completely destroy me?'
"Although it's a bit embarrassing, my original intention was just to make you stop, but I didn't expect these naughty boys to treat you as a sparring partner!" Red said helplessly. His Pokémon simultaneously whistled, glancing elsewhere, pretending not to hear their trainer's lecture.
"I have no intention of catching you. Even if I did, it would be difficult for you to appear in battles. I don't want to restrict your freedom," Red explained to the Tentacruel. In his opinion, capturing it would be an act of strangulation. Could such a massive creature really participate in a standard battle? If it couldn't battle, it would have to be left at Professor Oak's lab, which would not only tire the Professor but also contradict the path Red had always yearned for.
Can a trainer who stifles a Pokémon's freedom truly become a Pokémon Master?
Red had always warned himself that if he couldn't give a Pokémon the opportunity to battle and travel with him, he wouldn't consider catching it, no matter how excellent its potential.
"After you and your family destroy the buildings occupying your habitat, leave quickly," Red advised. The other injured Tentacool also gradually recovered under the effect of his Viridian Power, which was a gift from the most fundamental area of Viridian Forest and possessed double the healing effect of an ordinary user.
"No! I won't allow you to destroy my seaside resort!"
A fat man in a suit with a beer belly interrupted Red's thoughts, righteously ordering him to defeat the super-giant Tentacruel.
"Who are you?" Red frowned, displeased.
"I am the mayor of Hutber Port! That seaside resort is my treasure for making a fortune, and I absolutely will not allow you to destroy it like this!" the mayor shouted, even bringing out his private army to intimidate Red.
"What a terrible guy. Can someone like this even be mayor?!" Ash said angrily, clenching his fists and looking nervously at his brother.
"Are you threatening me?" Red said coldly. The mayor's private army behind him suddenly floated into mid-air, then was blown hundreds of meters away by Pidgeot's Hurricane. "Are you going to defy the League's orders?!" the mayor said in horror, still trying to use the Pokémon League's name to make Red back down.
Just as Red was hesitating whether to deal with the mayor himself, a swift Dragonite appeared, carrying a red-caped young man.
"Long time no see, Red!"
The person who came was none other than the Dragon-type Elite Four member, Lance.
"It seems the Tentacruel incident has alarmed the League, to actually send an Elite like you to save the day," Red said calmly, showing no reverence for Lance, only the greeting of friends.
"You're still as aloof as ever!" Lance said helplessly, then glared darkly at the mayor. "You have violated the Pokémon League's decree, wantonly destroying the natural environment and forcing so many homeless Tentacool onto a path of revenge against humans!"
Seeing Lance, a Senior Pokémon Prosecutor, the mayor immediately knelt on the ground with a face full of remorse, not forgetting to point to Brutella, who had just woken up nearby. "It was all her! She tempted me, saying that this was the only way to make Hutber Port prosper!"
Brutella, who had regained consciousness, was suddenly stunned. She had only been working for someone else; how did she suddenly end up taking the blame?
Lance had no time to listen to the mayor's explanation. He took out his Senior Prosecutor's identification. "Now, you will face the Pokémon League's judgment!"
"Lance, can I let the Tentacruel and its family destroy that sea building?" Red asked.
"If possible… I hope you would call me Big Brother Lance, but given your personality, that's probably impossible," Lance said with a sigh, nodding to signal that the super-giant Tentacruel could begin its revenge.
The Tentacruel glanced at Red first, and only after seeing him nod in agreement did it dare to let loose and destroy everything. In its eyes, only Red, this human, could be trusted, which made Lance, who had rushed to save the day, feel a pang of disappointment. He had wanted to be the hero…
"I didn't expect someone like you would have to come here personally," Red teased.
"This is not as simple as you think," Lance explained. "This is one of the few incidents in League history where wild Pokémon tribes have attacked human settlements. If the League doesn't handle it properly, it could very likely be exploited by evil organizations. With some bribery of newspaper publishers, the League's reputation would plummet."
"To protect your reputation, you should work harder to eliminate such scum," Red said calmly, glancing at the mayor being pinned to the ground by Officer Jenny.
"It's not that simple. Even within the Pokémon League, Team Rocket members have infiltrated. All we can do now is find the true identity of Team Rocket's leader as soon as possible," Lance said helplessly. Eliminating them was not easy; even the most upright organizations have a few bad apples.
(Giovanni's truth…)
Red remained silent, pondering whether to tell Lance now that the leader of Team Rocket was actually Giovanni, the Gym Leader in Viridian City.
"I know you're feeling bad. The League, which Pokémon Trainers should aspire to, actually…" Lance saw Red's silence and thought he was disheartened by the League's internal affairs, so he quickly went up to explain.
(Forget it. Let nature take its course. Exposing Giovanni's identity so quickly would also cause unnecessary trouble…)
Therefore, Red ultimately decided not to tell Lance the truth. He believed that with the Pokémon League's influence, Giovanni's identity would soon be uncovered. Red didn't want to put his family in danger of being hunted by Team Rocket just because of a slip of the tongue.
Finally, the supergiant Tentacruel led its swarm to destroy the offshore structures, reclaiming their original habitat before gradually sinking into the seabed and leaving. The giant took one last deep look at Red, who kindly waved goodbye. This scene was captured by a reporter and would later appear in the Kanto Pokémon League's news weekly, with a special section dedicated to recounting the event. For the next few weeks, this news story would be the focus of the hot weekly, causing quite a stir in the Kanto Region.
"Your Pokémon are getting stronger and stronger!" Lance exclaimed, surprised by the great change in Charizard. As a Dragon Master, he could clearly feel the pure draconic aura on Charizard, an energy that only a few Dragonite in his own family could match.
"Just luck," Red said calmly. This was thanks to the good fortune the Ancient Dragonite had bestowed upon his partner, but he didn't want to reveal its identity, so he hastily fabricated an experience for Lance.
The super-giant Tentacruel incident ended perfectly. Red accompanied Ash and the two others onto the connecting ship, arriving at dusk and heading to a new destination. Misty also happily caught a Horsea.
***
(End of Chapter)
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