The warm water cradled Misty's body as she sank into the depths just off the shore of Hubert Port while holding fast to Staryu. She was no stranger to diving, given where she was raised. Even cleaning the aquariums without draining the water involved diving with breathing equipment. But she never really liked having do so in suits like these because of how uncomfortably dry and tight they felt.

As they went further down the sunlight from above became more scattered and broken up. The obscuring light was made up for by her Starmie, whose core grew luminous enough to act as a light in the deep sea. The ruby-tinted illumination shone over the depths and allowed her to see what laid beneath the surface.

And the sight horrified her as they reached the bottom.

Countless corals that should have been colorful were barren and brittle and bleached to the point of resembling bones. Any kelp or plant-life that would normally bloom were wilted away to nothingness. Even the water itself seemed to have a tinge to it that was only noticeable while passing through the ruby light.

'This place must've been beautiful,' Misty lamented silently when she noticed something slightly further ahead and tapped her Staryu twice as the signal to stop. It let out a noise that caused its evolved form to halt as well and turn towards her as she gestured towards where she wanted it to position its light.

There she found what looked to be a metal canister of some kind, half-buried in the sand. Her Staryu used Water Gun to blast the sand around it and Starmie used its hindlegs to lightly churn the water and scatter the loosened silt. That gave her a better look at it.

'I knew it!' Seething anger bubbled in her chest as she glared at the symbol on the canister. The language was foreign, but she recognized the toxic symbol on it as Starmie cast its light over the thing. She snapped a photo of it and their surroundings before signaling for them to continue looking for more proof.

And more she found—more than a dozen canisters total.

Not only had she been dumping, but a couple of them were in different languages. She had been mixing a variety of poisons and throwing them into the water, probably intending to retrieve them once she moved into the final phase of the construction. By then the Tentacool would likely be dead and she could simply put in artificial coral and have the area scrubbed to get rid of the evidence.

'No wonder Horsea was so sick.' She took more photos and could only hope that it would be enough. Considering not even Magikarp were around here, sticking around longer wouldn't be good for her pokémon. They needed to leave.

"Squirtle, squir!" A muffled sound from Squirtle reached her ears despite the water pressing against her dive hood. She turned as ruby light shone in the direction of the noise and they found the Tiny Turtle Pokémon floating with his eyes narrowed. The light caught something next to him.

'A Tentacool…' Misty recognized it after a moment. It took a moment not only because they were hard to notice in the water, but because of how sickly it was. The gem-looking protrusions on its head were clouded and almost faded, while its membrane was the same sickly color that was around Horsea's fins.

The species as a whole were hardier than most sea-borne pokémon when it came to handling poison because of their typing. But they also absorbed water into their bodies to fill themselves out and cushion their organs. The fact that it was in this condition only added to just how much damage Nastina had done to the environment.

'You poor thing…' She nearly reached out when its tentacle slowly came up and tried to grab hold of her arm, only to be brushed away with a slight burst of water from Staryu. It let out a few bubbles, but it didn't bother to try and swim away. '…No, you can't even escape if you wanted, can you?'

She took a photo of it to send off before reaching down to her belt and grabbing an empty ball, enlarging it in the process. Then she tapped the Tentacool with the ball. There wasn't even a struggle beyond the first, weak shake before the capture function registered it as a success.

'I'll make sure she pays for this. I promise.' Holding that thought in her heart as she put the ball onto her belt, Misty brushed Squirtle's head in gratitude for the warning. Then she tapped on Staryu twice and guided it back towards the direction they came. She had more than enough evidence now.

It was as they made their way back that a ringing noise caused the water around her to tremble. The world began to tilt for Misty and vertigo began to set in, leaving it hard for her to focus as the ringing bounced around in her skull. 'Is this a… Supersonic attack?'

An attack that used concentrated soundwaves to instill confusion, some predatory pokémon would use it to confuse their prey and made escaping difficult. But because it also shook the water, it messed with the pressure in her ears. If it got too bad she'd likely end up drowning from the induced vomiting on top of vertigo.

"Squrrrrrrr—" There was a burbling noise that was followed by a muffling sensation as the sound gradually lessened, leaving Misty to turn her head to see that Squirtle had covered her diving suit in bubbles from the appropriately named attack and was spraying a thick curtain of it around the area.

For a moment she thought he'd been confused by the Supersonic, but when he turned back to her and pointed to her ears she caught on. He was creating a bubble curtain to absorb the soundwaves. Between that and the layer that covered her, it'd lessen it long enough for them to get some distance.

The same couldn't be said for her Starmie, spinning in place and confused, unlike her Staryu. She quickly returned it into its ball and then called it back out. The Mysterious Pokémon's ruby blinked to signal that it was okay now.

Misty rapped against Staryu with her knuckle multiple times, which was the signal so it'd know to surface quickly. They had to get out of the immediate danger zone before they were ambushed again. It proved to be a wise call as a flurry of Poison Sting needles pierced the bubble curtain.

From the scattered bubbles emerged dozens of Tentacool, all of whom had collectively been responsible for that barrage of Poison Sting. She was willing to bet that Supersonic came from a group of them at the very least, given how loud it had been. Similar to the one she caught, they looked sickly but were still well enough to attack her.

Realizing that they weren't going to give up their pursuit as they prepared to launch another volley, Squirtle created another bubble curtain as Misty made quick circular motions with her hands before pointing to the bloom of Jellyfish Pokémon. Staryu grabbed its counterpart's attention and relayed the order by blinking in rapid succession like a signal lamp. Starmie fell back to follow through while Misty grabbed Squirtle with her free hand and held him tight as Staryu moved at its full speed to get out range.

That was when the water began to churn violently. Similar to how Avian and other Flying-Type Pokémon could bind the wind and create powerful gusts, Water-Types could do the same when they were within their element. While Misty preferred using Staryu above the water because it was more suitable for direct combat, Starmie was her most versatile and powerful Pokémon down here in the depths when it could go all out.

Having abandoned swimming upright after drifting down lower, the Mysterious Pokémon began to spin its hindlegs as fast as it could while a cerulean aura wreathed it. That aura spread out as it grabbed hold of more and more water, twisting it along with the motions. The resulting vortex began to rise upwards as more and more of the resulting area was swept up in the eddy.

Whirlpool—a technique that worked best in an area where there was enough water to make full use of it. It was really meant to counteract existing whirlpools, but it had use in a situation like this. For a bloom of slower-moving Jellyfish Pokémon, there was no way for them or their attacks to escape as the twisting current pulled them into its grasp and began caging them in.

Starmie kept spinning in place until its trainer and companion were a safer distance away. Then, using the rotations to build up momentum, it catapulted itself in their direction with its body flat like a throwing star. Cutting through the water, it caught up to the group in record time and then spun its front and hindlegs in opposite directions to stabilize itself.

Misty gave it a thumbs up before gesturing for it to follow as they made their way back to the surface unimpeded. She had to get in touch with her sisters. Hopefully, they'd take this seriously for once.

[-oOo-]

"MISTY, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"

Misty winced as her eldest sister's scream pierced her ear from the receiver of the videophone. She had returned to the hospital and proceeded to call the Gym once she had changed. It turned out they took her diving into a Tentacool-infested area a bit more seriously than she expected.

"Someone had to do something," she argued to cut the lecture short. "I took all the precautionary measures beforehand. And it was the right call. Look at what I found."

She transferred pictures of the Horsea and Tentacool first. Then the pictures of the coral reefs that had been bleached and killed. Then there were the canisters of poison that she found scattered about and dumped into the water.

Daisy, for her part, observed them all with a furrowed brow. The same couldn't be said of Lily and Violet as they leaned over her shoulder to watch as well. They were a lot less guarded in their expressions as the former brought her hands to her mouth and the latter looked away after a moment.

"Okay, so it's pretty bad," Daisy admitted. "But what do you want us to do?"

"Get someone down here to stop her!" Misty exclaimed. "It has to go high enough that Nastina can't just sweep it under the rug!"

"Hmm… we're still keeping in touch with Auntie, aren't we?" Lily asked. "Wouldn't this be something she'd be able to handle?"

"Now that you mention it, she still checks up on us from time-to-time," Violet answered. "Though she has mentioned she's not really all that interested in our water ballets."

Daisy sighed audibly. "I was hoping we wouldn't need to rely on her, but I guess we can see if she'll go for it before Misty does something stupid again. But after that thing with the ship and now this, we will cut off your allowance and make you come back home if you do anything else. Got it?"

As tempted as she was to refute that, Misty bit her tongue and nodded. "Fine. Just hurry."

"I mean it, Misty. Stay out of trouble," Daisy warned her a final time before the line disconnected.

Misty hung up the receiver before letting out a deep breath. In truth, under normal circumstances, she would have preferred that it wasn't necessary to send it to her. She wasn't a relative by birth but when her sisters had inherited the Gym because their parents ran off, there were complications since it wasn't done as formally as it should have been.

They knew all the ins and outs of the necessities but there was still a lack of confidence over whether they'd be capable. Auntie, as they called her, had helped them because she noticed they all had the passion and loved Water Pokémon. They owed her a lot and she'd probably be disappointed by them slipping lately as Gym Leaders, so they weren't all that eager to get in touch with her first.

That done, Misty left the interior of the hospital and went back to the courtyard where Ash and Pikachu were. Gina had gone off somewhere once they'd returned and Horsea was asleep at the bottom of the little swimming pool. She returned the Sea Horse Pokémon into his ball before turning to the others and thanking Ash.

"It wasn't a problem," Ash told her as Pikachu scurried around the courtyard. "Did your sisters say they'd help?"

"Yeah, though it'll probably come back to bite me later on." She took a seat on the stone bench next to him. "But it'll be worth it if the ecosystem here can be repaired. Did Brock come back while I was inside?"

"No, but he might have gone to get the tickets for the next boat'," Ash reasoned. "It probably won't be long now—"

His words were cut off when there was a distant boom that resembled an explosion, along with the sounds of shouts and screaming. Pikachu jumped onto his hindlegs and his ears tilted back and forth. Ash rose to his feet once he spotted smoke started to rise from the harbor area. "Something's wrong. Let's go and check it out, Pikachu."

Misty followed as he began to rush ahead with Pikachu towards the harbor. The smell hit her first as they ran down the street. There was an acrid scent that stung the nose and gnawed away at the throat on the way down to their lungs. Potent and pungent, it was enough to make Misty's stomach slightly churn in displeasure as they pressed ahead until the dock came into view.

"What's going on…?" The confusion in Ash's tone was clear as they bore witness to the dark clouds that hung perilously close to the sea. As if marking the area for destruction, rain fell and whipped up the waves until they splashed over the sidewalks that were littered with broken glass and tattered cloth from windows that had been shattered and banners that were torn. The asphalt and stonework were covered with splotches of nauseating and smoldering liquid that frothed with hissing bubbles, dissolving the decorative plants and bits of greenery that were present while peeling the paint off the other surfaces.

"Pikapi! Pikachi-Pi!" The call of the Electric Mouse Pokémon drew their attention to the water. There they found themselves audience to dozens of pairs of those tarnished rubies of the sea bobbing on the waves. Looming like ominous eyes beneath the darkening clouds that slowly rolled in, one of the largest blooms of Tentacool that Misty had ever seen emerged from the depths.

And then they attacked without warning, jumping out of the water and twisting so that their mouths were presented. Misty recognized the impending attack and grabbed Ash, pulling him behind a metal sign that was next to what was once a restaurant. No sooner than they were sheltered did globs of that same fluid that littered a decent portion of the street splash over where they had been.

Ash held his nose from the smell. "Since when can Tentacool spit up acid?"

"They're taking the digestive fluids in their body and enhancing it to make it an attack," Misty explained. "The acid in itself is designed to soften up flesh so, when they capture prey and bring it into their bodies, they can dissolve them easier. A little bit wouldn't be a problem, but they've practically blanketed the street around us in it. Fortunately, it loses its potency quickly outside of their bodies, so it'll be safe for us to move again in a bit."

Peering over the edge of the sign, Ash gave a rather grim proclamation. "I don't think they're planning to give us the chance…"

Misty risked a look to see that the tarnished orbs of their heads were now glowing a violet hue before Ash found a nearby trash-can lid and held it above them. Then a volley of Poison Sting rained down, bombarding the area. They could hear the lid catch a few of them and some of the nearby glass was broken further before it was done.

"They've got us pinned down," Misty realized. "We can't go anywhere until the acid thins, but if we're stuck in a single place that means we're eventually going to get hit. I don't like it, but we've got to drive them off before someone gets hurt."

"Pikachu, you up for this?" Ash asked, looking down at his partner. He received a nod and then enlarged another ball and let out his Bird Pokémon next. "Pidgeotto, get Pikachu high over the water so he can zap those Tentacool."

Pidgeotto allowed Pikachu to climb onto his back and then took off into the air. Peering from behind their cover, they watched the Bird Pokémon weave the winds and beat out a hard gale that scattered another volley back into the water before Pikachu jumped off his back. Then there was a flash as electricity jumped into the highly conductive saltwater, promptly taking them out

"Nice job." Ash congratulated the pair once Pidgeotto caught Pikachu mid-fall and fluttered back over. "You two make a great team."

"Ash! Misty!" shouted a voice from further down the road, over a low rumble.

It was Brock, riding his Onix along with Gina. Wartortle, the pair of Geodudes, and Zubat were flanking them. They came to a stop where the acid pooled on the ground and Wartortle sprayed out a Bubblebeam that washed away the acid, creating a path for them to go through unharmed.

Ash ran over towards them. "What's going on?"

"We were making arrangements for the boat when the Tentacool attacked the construction site," Brock explained. "Once that happened, I managed to convince the locals to begin moving further inland just before they attacked the ships and docks in earnest. We were on our way back to help anyone else still here when we saw the lightning from Pikachu's attack."

"Has there been any major injuries or worse?" Misty asked.

Brock shook his head. "Thankfully, so far there's only been a few minor injuries and nothing fatal. But longer this goes on the worse it'll get."

Misty bit her lower lip as she looked out to the water to see the unconscious bloom drifting on the surface of the water like deflated floats. Past them she could see more Tentacool were lingering further back, peeking their heads above the water. No doubt planning their next move.

They'd openly attacked the city, which was bad enough. But if it went beyond collateral damage and someone really got hurt then Nastina would get her wish. They'd be exterminated.

"We need to drive them back into the sea," Misty settled on before turning back to face the group. "These Tentacool are angry from what that woman did to their home, but they're also sick and desperate. There's no feasible way they can keep this up for long, so if we push them back then there's a good chance they'll give up and swim into the deeper ocean to recover."

"I don't think it'll be that simple," Brock said, pointing to the low-hanging clouds that were centered around the construction site and steadily expanding. "These tactics that they're using are far above what's normally done by Tentacool. Not to mention if that storm grows any more powerful it'll run the risk of causing a coastal flood, which will allow them to cover a lot more ground inland."

"What if we defeat the leader of the bloom then?" Gina asked, before pulling out her Pokédex and then turning it to the others to show the entry for one particular pokémon—the evolved form of the Tentacool. "This attack is too organized for it to be simply them venting their anger, so something has to be commanding them. I'm willing to bet that if we beat or capture the leader of the bloom that'll do it."

"That might work," Misty said. "Considering how sudden the rain began and how it's centered around the construction site, I'm willing to bet that it's a Rain Dance at work. While they don't normally learn that, if it was a trained pokémon that got released that would also explain the use of tactics at work here. Stop it and we can stop the rain as well."

"I suppose that's more feasible," Brock conceded. "We'll still need to lure it out though, which means drawing its attention. If we defeat enough of them it'll have no choice but to surface to confront us. But I still need to handle evacuating anyone else in trouble."

"Then leave the rest to us," Ash said, slamming his fist into his open palm before looking over to Misty and Gina. "Let's an end to this before it gets any worse for the people here or those Tentacool."

With the storm churning the waves until their surging mass splashed over the edges of the dock, the three trainers and their pokémon took to the rooftops as the new arrivals breached the surface using the momentum of the tidal surge to leap into the air. Their first volley was a renewed assault with Acid, intent on blanketing them and their pokémon alike. Fortunately, Onix had left a gift before it departed—piles of debris that could serve as cover for them to hide behind as their Water Pokémon began the counteroffensive.

Wartortle, Squirtle, and Starmie released gouts of water and bubbles, intercepting the acid. Bulbasaur let loose a barrage of Razor Leaf, sweeping wide to pepper the horde. It was matched by a flurry of glowing stars that homed in through the air towards them from Staryu and Eevee, battering them into unconsciousness as they hit the water.

More came in their wake, of course. Reinforcements that dragged their defeated numbers below and out of harm's way. Once the fallen were secured, they tried once more with a volley of Poison Stings.

To that Butterfree and Pidgeotto unleashed a combination of Gust and Whirlwind. The airborne needles were sent scattered far-off into the ocean as Pikachu ran along the edges of the building before letting loose his Thunderbolt. The lightning surged into the water and shocked the surfaced unit, streamers of electricity dancing over their bodies that collapsed into the water.

The cycle repeated for a whole three rotations before coming to a stop all of a sudden. The Tentacool began sinking beneath the waves, disappearing from view. At the same time, the water closer to the construction site began to shift and grow. Then it bulged as something absolutely massive rose from the depths.

Water cascaded down from a towering blue hood that was topped by two round, clouded rubies that were on either side of a smaller one in the center of it. As the hood finished breaching the water, the underside was exposed to reveal the black underside that housed a pair of eyes the size of buses, nestled on the side of a wicked-looking beak. And whereas the other Tentacool had only two tentacles, it possessed at least fourteen that were massive with a length that could match a fully-grown Gyrados.

Misty was left speechless as she stared into the glowering gaze of the Tentacruel that emerged from the depths right outside of the construction site. It was even larger than the resort's frame that was being developed. This was the leader of the Tentacool bloom they were trying to quell?

Upon finishing its ascension, the giant Jellyfish Pokémon released a cry that shook the water. The piercing noise was ear-splitting, leaving both human and pokémon alike clenching their ears as it rattled around within their skulls. But within that caged cry, Misty could swear that she could almost hear… something…

Before she could dwell on that fact, the Tentacruel reared back to expose its mouth. The underside of its body and its tentacles expanded, growing thicker and larger as the orbs on its head began to grow luminous. Then it let loose a spiraling jet of water that slammed into the construction site.

With a short-lived wrenching noise, the steel frame and construction materials were blown apart by the sheer force of what Misty recognized was a massive Hydro Pump attack. One that was so powerful that it ripped apart the very foundation and sent the steel beams scattering towards the docks. Buildings and roads and boats that had been docked were all crushed and smashed as the ground beneath them shook and smoke rose into the air.

Tumbling over, Misty was only spared from hitting the rooftop by her Staryu's timely intervention, its core flashing an inquiry. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"This is bad," Ash said as he also got onto his feet, replacing his hat that fell off his head as he stared at the behemoth-sized pokémon. "If it fires one of those things directly at the buildings over here, it could hurt someone."

"I don't think we can beat it," Gina said bluntly as she held her pokédex out to take stock of it. "It's massive enough that it could possibly shrug off anything we can throw at it."

Ash turned his gaze up to the Rain Dance clouds above. When he saw small flashes within it, he scratched his chin in thought for a moment and turned to them. "Gina, you remember how I said that Pikachu got hit by a lightning bolt during a storm and used it to shock a bunch of Spearow?"

She nodded. "What about it?"

"Well, after the Gym Battle and what Surge said, I started looking up some stuff about electrical techniques and things like that since I didn't want that to happen to Pikachu again. I…think we might be able to hit it with a strong enough electrical attack that would stop it, but we'd need a distraction for Pikachu and Pidgeotto."

Gina gave him a look of interest. Then she looked down at the pokémon that were by her side on the rooftop. It was a silent message that asked if they would be willing to do so. They nodded their heads unwaveringly before giving off affirmative sounds.

"What about the rest of you?" Ash asked his team of pokémon. "I don't blame any of you if you want to go back into your balls to sit this one out."

In spite of the opposition being massive, their pokémon remained firm in their goal and let Ash know. Likewise, without Misty even asking, her own pokémon showed their willingness to brave the behemoth. She gave a grateful smile to them all. "Thank you. All of you."

[-oOo-]

It had come at the behest of its kin.

They called for its aid. They called for retribution. They called for vengeance against those that had defiled their home and ruined its splendor. And so it had risen from the depths, called forth the rains, and smashed apart the monument to their suffering with its might.

But, as it peered down at the flashing orbs of its kin beneath the water, it knew that alone would not be enough for their vengeance to be quelled. For years they had called the seabed here their home. A territory that they defended and thrived within, becoming the massive bloom they were today. For a human to despoil it so thoroughly that they could no longer call it their home was more than they could bear.

Retribution, they cried. Retaliation, they urged. Revenge, they pleaded. Reckoning, they begged. So, despite how its bloated body ached and rumbled, it turned its gaze towards the city that composed the port and took aim to let their wrath be known…

That was when pouring rain began to be padded out with glimmering blue sparkles that fell like snow from above. Tentacruel's focus shifted to the powder as a creeping sense of drowsiness worked its way throughout its body. Recognition dawned as it recalled times that had gone past, battles having taken place so long ago, and then looked to the skies above to see the ones that dared interfere.

Above it floated Butterfree with Bulbasaur held in place by a strap of vines. The two were collectively releasing Sleep Powder. They were trying to subdue it with the soporific and place it into a deep slumber.

Gurgling in displeasure, Tentacruel expelled some of the water that it had absorbed through the pores of its body. The saltwater washed away the powder covering its body before it could take hold. Then the gem in the center of its forehead turned violet before letting loose a barrage of Poison Sting needles.

Butterfree sent the needles flying off-course before Bulbasaur released its payload of Razor Leaf, the faux foliage raining down with the razor-sharp edges slicing into its massive frame. But, as the rain fell, the tiny scratches that peppered its body were mended. The wounds vanished with a flicker of cerulean light.

It had been born with a gift. Unlike many of its kin, the rain eased its pain. It washed away its wounds and gave it the strength to keep going.

Refreshed and unphased as the barrage ended, it sent its massive tentacles snaking like serpents to ensnare the pair. The Butterfly Pokémon twisted his body as he dropped from the sky, falling beneath the tentacles. They followed him, crashing down like massive pillars with the intention of driving the pair into the water.

But, as Butterfree managed to weave between them, Bulbasaur shot a bundle of seeds with each pass that latched onto its tentacles. The seeds immediately germinated, roots and vines sprouting from the pods and forcing their way into its tentacles like writhing worms as coiling ivy clung to them. They began to leech the very essence of its being, pulling from it like a parasite as it undulated in discomfort while the pair flew off.

Then it felt the peppering of dozens of pebbles slamming against its massive frame. No. Not pebbles. Its eyes turned towards the source and found Staryu and Eevee amidst the wreckage of the construction site, stars woven of light being spewed from their small bodies.

They were joined by a blow from its other side as something slammed into him once more. It was Nidorina as she somehow ended up burying her legs wreathed in energy into it for a Double Kick. The blow did next to nothing, but then she began to dig her claws in and started scratching away.

The Tentacruel's massive tentacles thrashed as it attempted to crush them all. Some of the sinuous appendages came down onto the concrete foundation to smush the pair there, while one came to crush the pest annoying it from above. But neither found purchase as the Evolution Pokémon leapt onto Staryu and the Poison Pin Pokémon clung to Starmie, both of which began to hover in the air and just pester it.

The Jellyfish Pokémon bellowed in frustration, trying to swat the flies that were annoying it as its tentacles thrashed wildly and churned the water. It hated the ivy digging into its flesh, sapping away its strength as readily as the rains replenished it. The little attacks were doing nothing more than being a nuisance, but it was one that was bothering it to no end.

Raging, it let out a shriek and called for its bloom to eradicate the nuisances. Answering its call, they rose from the depths beneath the stormy cloud in great numbers, huddling around their leader, and taking aim. They would saturate the skies with the venomous needles and eradicate them all…

Then it tasted the ozone in the air.

It felt the tingle of electricity building up. The feeling was akin to how the air became charged when there was a lightning storm brewing overhead. Tilting its massive hood back and looking towards the sky, Tentacruel could see beneath the dark clouds it had called forth the only real threat—Pikachu.

The Electric Mouse Pokémon's cheeks crackled and popped with electricity. He was sending volts into the clouds, charging them with lightning until writhing streamers danced along the grey veil. The flashes illuminating the interior grew more intense at a frightening pace that spoke of what would come next.

Tentacruel bellowed, drawing the attention of its bloom upwards and ordering them to fire a converging barrage towards it. But Pidgeotto released a Whirlwind that scattered the Poison Stings. Then its body was wreathed in white as it dove down towards Tentacruel before the next volley could come.

Right as it neared the titan-sized pokémon, Pikachu sent a powerful electrical bolt from its tail. But it wasn't directed downwards towards Tentacruel. No, it was sent into the clouds above right as Pidgeotto used Quick Attack afterwards to rocket them away into the distance.

The leader of the bloom realized too late what would happen next. Lightning would come down from the clouds that hung low to the sea. It would spell the decimation of its bloom, which had gathered at its behest. Unable to let that happen and with only a moment to act, it did the only thing it could—it threw itself out of the water.

If it remained in the water, they would all suffer from the incoming lightning bolt. But if it was the sole target and was far enough from them then they would be spared. So, it jumped out of the sea to meet the attack head-on to protect them as their leader.

Then the world went white with an ear-splitting crack as the air was ripped apart by a massive bolt of lightning and it only knew pain.

[-oOo-]

Misty's heart ached when she heard the shriek that was followed by the Tentacruel crashing down onto the stone foundation of what had once been Nastina's resort. The titan-sized Jellyfish Pokémon now lay there in the wreckage it had blown apart with its Hydro Pump. Smoke coiled off its body that was partly shriveled from the lack of water taken into its body as the rain petered down upon it.

True to his word, Ash had been actively looking into learning more about electric pokémon after the lecture Surge had given him over the last few nights they had been in Porta Vista. He knew that Pikachu alone wouldn't be enough to defeat Tentacruel due to how massive it was. But he also knew there was a way to get more electricity than Pikachu naturally had if he called it down from a storm.

Clouds naturally built up static electricity and those summoned by a Rain Dance were no different. Pikachu saturated the clouds further until they were primed and then had Pidgeotto get closer before letting out a single, powerful bolt that would give it a channel to follow on the way down. Pikachu couldn't guide the resulting bolt like an actual Thunder attack at the moment, but using Quick Attack and getting out of the way meant that it would jump into the closest thing that didn't have a repelling charge.

It was stupidly risky and not something they could do without the conditions being right, but the results spoke for themselves. They had toppled the titan and Bulbasaur had immediately scattered Leech Seeds over its body when it noticed the rain starting to repair the damage, leaving it stuck in a state of succor and suffering. Time for her to step in now.

She clung to Starmie as it carried her through the air towards it, flanked by Ash's pokémon. The Tentacool had gathered around the stone ruins where their leader lay defeated, dismayed that their champion had fallen. The way they shied away from Pikachu told her all she needed to know about how the fight had been torn out of them and replaced by terror.

She landed amidst the rubble and bore witness to the damage done up-close. The lightning had left its mark, burns upon its exterior flowing like the branches of a tree from where it had spread out. Then there were the same signs of pollution she'd seen with its bloom until now, made worse by the fact that it needed to draw in much more water than them to sustain itself.

"Tentacruel, can you hear me?" Misty asked. "I'm going to have Bulbasaur drop the Leech Seed so you can get your strength back. But only under the condition that you and your bloom don't attack and will listen to me. Let me plead our case so no one else gets hurt."

"Ten..ta…cruel…" It shifted its gaze onto her. There was a hint of malice within those eyes that caused Pikachu's cheeks to spark with electricity and Bulbasaur to growl.

Misty held her hand out to stop them. "Please, Tentacruel. I was down there in the water earlier. I saw what happened to your home and how that woman defiled it. I know why you're doing this, and I only want to help."

There was a rumble in its underbelly. Then it made the equivalent of a sigh and moved its frame slightly. "Cruel."

She took it as confirmation and turned to the Seed Pokémon. He naturally gave her a doubtful look, gesturing to it with his vines and the clouds above. "Please. It was only defending its home and bloom. There's no reason to leave it like this now that the fighting is over."

Relenting with a roll of his eyes, Bulbasaur gave it a stern warning judging from the growl that came up from his throat. Then he released the Leech Seed. The vines and ivy that were sapping its strength all wilted and died, crumpling up and falling to the ground.

As the cerulean light danced over the massive frame, slowly mending the burns it had suffered, its gaze became slightly less menacing.

"What was done was horrible and you have every right to be angry," Misty began, looking into its eyes. "But you've misplaced your anger by attacking people who didn't know what she was doing. You must know that all humans aren't like that. Someone trained you to learn how to use Hydro Pump and Rain Dance, didn't they?"

The massive gaze shifted off her and towards the clouds above as if lost in memory. She didn't know who it was that trained it, but they had done a wonderful job. She could only think of a few reasons they weren't together now and none of them were good.

Misty then gestured to the clouded rubies that were sticking out of the water, its bloom listening and awaiting orders. "I saw you throwing yourself into the air to protect them. They're lucky to have a leader that really does care about them. But if you keep pressing the attack then eventually more trainers will be called in. Can you really protect them like this when just three trainers and a handful of pokémon that aren't actively trying to exterminate them can push them back so easily?"

Its body undulated as it looked to its bloom surrounding it. Even if it was so big and strong, it wasn't invincible. Eventually, they'd wear it down as more and more trainers were called in. And even if it could best them, its bloom wouldn't be so lucky.

"I promise you, Nastina will be punished for what she's done," Misty vowed. "We'll see to it that your home is cleaned of the poison she dumped into it. Not just for you or your bloom, but for all the sea pokémon that called this place home. So please, take your bloom and head out into deeper waters so you can recover from the toxins."

There was only silence after her heartfelt plea as the Rain Dance came to an end. The wounds it had suffered hadn't been completely mended. But it was still more than capable of causing havoc if it wished to. So, when it rose back up to its full height, Misty felt her nerves on edge as she stared up at the titan of a pokémon until it turned its gaze to the distant sea and just stared out to where the sun was already making its way towards the horizon.

Then it gurgled as it lowered itself into the water off the edge of the ruins. The eyes of all the Tentacool surrounding the manmade island shifted towards the leader of the bloom. It pointed towards the direction of the sun beyond. "Tentacruel. Cruel."

The bloom moved as one. They began swimming out to the distant sea that was opposite the shore, intending on disappearing beneath the waves. Seeking cleaner waters that they could call home and recuperate in.

Her words had moved it. "Thank you, Tentacruel."

It only responded once the rest of its bloom had sunken beneath the surface of the water by looking back at her and creating a smaller tentacle. It was no bigger than Bulbasaur's vines as it snaked through the air. Eventually, it came to a stop right before her belt, where the ball that had one of its bloom was.

"This one was so sick that I'm not sure that it could survive on its own, so I plan on nursing it back to health," Misty told it. "Once it's recovered, I'll bring it back to you. You have my word."

The leader of the bloom nodded before it sank beneath the waves. Misty was certain it was fully intent on holding her to that promise and would likely be watching from the depths to ensure that the poison was cleaned up and its home restored. Should the promises not be kept, it would likely return with a healthy bloom and have its vengeance upon their shores.

But, for now, things would settle down at the very least.

[-oOo-]

Around five hours later and in the dead of night, the group found themselves having trouble winding down in the wake of the attack. So far, the Tentacool and their leader hadn't resurfaced. But, given that they'd basically wrecked the shoreline and dock ferry area, people were still somewhat on edge.

A rampaging Gyrados alone could level a coastal town with ease. That had been a fairly intelligent and mutated Tentacruel with an army of its pre-evolved forms at its back. To say that they could have caused far worse damage if they'd made it further inland was an understatement, and it was lucky that Misty managed to talk it down.

Then there was the matter of getting the official reports on the topic done—again. They'd done the usual with reporting to the local authorities, who were also on edge considering that they really didn't have much of a planned response for that sort of thing. They had been told that someone important wanted to speak with them on the matter personally, so they were mostly just waiting until that person got there.

Knock. Knock. Knock. The rapping of knuckles on the door to the lounge they were in pulled them from their lull. The person that they were supposed to speak to must have arrived.

"We're awake," Brock said, rising to his feet. Ash, who'd been lounging on the couch while Pikachu slept on his chest, was slower to rise as he carefully maneuvered to not wake the Electric Mouse Pokémon up. "You can come in."

The door opened at that, and a woman entered. She had a prim and proper appearance down to her posture. She wore a black blazer jacket and black skirt that fell to her knees, a slit for ease of movement on the sides showing thigh-high stockings that went down to a set of black high-heel shoes. Her long auburn hair was bound with a scrunchie in the back that let it fall into a ponytail, the rest of it framing her face around a pair of glasses fixed over her red eyes.

Gina stilled her breath in surprise. Because she recognized that person. How could she not when she was aiming at the title of Champion herself, meaning she'd have to go through her to make it a reality—Lorelei, of the Elite Four.

Misty called her by another name as she shot to her feet from the table chair in surprise. "Auntie Prima!"

Lorelei, or Prima as Misty called her, smiled softly. "It's been too long, Misty. I wish it were in better circumstances."

Gina was still processing everything as Misty went up to the woman and hugged her. "You're related to Lorelei?"

"Not by blood," Misty said, pulling away from the woman. "She helped my sisters with the transference of the Gym Ownership and checked up on us a lot. We call her Auntie Prima instead of her title as Lorelei because she's like family to us."

Brock added to that. "All Gym Leaders have some contact with a member of the Elite Four since they're the ones who authorize the legitimacy of Gyms and send out inspectors if enough criticisms or concerns come up. They're essentially one of the highest authorities in Kanto, so often they're busy enough that requesting their assistance is only done in emergencies."

"Which this qualifies for in the aftermath of an attack of that nature," Prima said, crossing her arms. "It just so happens that I was at home on the island when the sisters contacted me and, while I will admit that my connection with the sisters is more personal than professional, there was legitimate evidence so I would have been able to authorize an investigation into the matter. But in the wake of a giant pokémon attacking it's become a lot more complex and I'll be taking a direct hand in things."

"So, you'll be arresting Nastina then?" Misty asked.

She nodded. "The events that transpired were directly caused by her illegal actions and she actively undermined proper measures, so she won't be able to get out of this easily. But there are going to be complications with the reconstruction as well as travel between here and Fuchsia. I'm afraid you won't be able to go there for a while."

"Why not?" Ash asked.

Brock answered. "Because there's a giant Tentacruel with a grudge against humans that you barely managed to talk down likely to be there and they don't want to risk provoking it."

"Precisely," Prima said. "Until we can get a guarantee that it will not attack ships, especially not passenger ships or ferries, traveling within the normal routes will be heavily restricted. The best I can do is get you a ride back to Vermillion and suggest you take the long way around if you want to get to Fuchsia City anytime soon."

Misty looked at Ash and Gina with an apologetic gaze. "Sorry about that, guys. I know you wanted to get your next badges there."

"Not your fault," Ash assured her. "It'll just be more time that we can spend traveling around. Nothing wrong with that. We have plenty of time before the conference."

"Besides, we missed a couple of Gyms on the way to Vermillion anyway," Gina reasoned, already pulling out a map. Never let it be said she allowed herself to be setback. "We'll just go to Saffron and then Celadon before Fuchsia. What's the worst that can happen?"