Before we get to this chapter (which, due to Internet issues took much longer than I hoped to get posted) there's something I'd like to address. I received a guest review from DaLurkMasta that I need to reply to. In his review he said "Only ground type Pokémon? Let's use Onix, a pure rock type! Seems legit!". Indeed it is legit, seeing as how Onix is a Rock and Ground type, not a pure Rock. If you are still reading, DaLurkMasta, here's a piece of advice: Before you comment on something make sure you have your facts right.

Now, on with the next chapter.

Chapter 47: Aquatic Nightmare

As the group continued their trek to Kamillia Town, the location of Nikki's next Pokémon Contest, they found themselves on a path that ran alongside a tranquil river. They would need to cross the river but there were no bridges in sight and neither of them felt like trying to swim across, so they took a moment to check the maps on their Pokécomms to see if there were any bridges anywhere they could cross.

"Any luck?" Ash asked.

"The only bridges that are listed are still under construction," Nikki said. "Looks like we're not getting across anytime soon."

"Maybe we won't have to go across," Ash said. "This river connects to a lake to the east, and from the looks of it we can go around the lake and get to the other side. It's a bit out of the way, though, but it's our only option right now." Nikki took a look at her map and quickly found the lake Ash was talking about. Just as he said they could walk around it and get to the other side of the river, but it was also a long distance away.

"It's going to take us most of the day to get there," Nikki groaned.

"I'm sorry. If I knew we'd run into this I would have brought along either Charizard or Pidgeot so they could have flown us over," Ash apologized.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know," Nikki said. "In any case we should hurry up and get moving. We've got a long walk ahead of us." The group then began their long trek to the east along the river towards the lake.

It was already quite late in the day by the time they reached the lake. By then they were all exhausted and in desperate need of a break.

"Let's rest for a bit before continuing on," Ash suggested. Even though Nikki wanted to continue on she was far too tired. After agreeing with Ash the two of them went about setting up camp. Once that was done Nikki offered to cook up a meal for them. While she got prepared Ash let their Pokémon out for some fresh air. One by one Shinx, Swablu, Ninetails, Persian, Pupitar, Corphish, Noctowl, Meganium and Heracross appeared.

"We're going to be resting here for a bit so you guys can go and relax. Just make sure not to wander off too far," Ash said. The Pokémon voiced their understanding as they left to enjoy themselves. In the meantime Nikki was finishing her preparations.

"Okay. Now to get some water," she said. She grabbed a bucket and went to the lake to get some water. As she did this a pair of eyes watched her from beneath the surface.

"There. That should be enough." Now that the bucket had been filled Nikki stood up and turned to walk away, but before she could take a step she heard what sounded like something splashing in the water behind her.

"Hello? Is someone there?" she called as she turned around. Despite what she heard moments ago there didn't appear to be anyone around.

"Must have been my imagination," Nikki assumed. She was then about to turn back around when the water in front of her exploded upwards, causing her to fall backwards.

"What the?!" she shouted as she shielded her eyes from the falling water. Once she was able to see again she found herself staring into the eyes of a Pokémon that had haunted her in her nightmares for years.

"A T… T… T-Tentacruel!" she stuttered. Her eyes showed nothing but fear as she stared into the eyes of the Jellyfish Pokémon, her body too consumed with fear to move. The Tentacruel glared down at Nikki with anger-filled eyes that only added to her fear. Eventually Nikki's body responded to the fear as she let loose a blood-curdling scream. As soon as they heard the scream Ash and the Pokémon turned and saw the danger Nikki was in.

"Nikki!" Ash shouted. He quickly sprang to his feet and ran in her direction. When she heard his shout Nikki turned her head and saw him and the Pokémon rushing to her aid. She attempted to get up and run to them but the Tentacruel lashed out with a pair of tentacles and grabbed Nikki's ankles.

"No! Let me go!" she screamed. She kicked and thrashed in an attempt to free herself, but the Tentacruel refused to let go. He then started dragging the struggling girl back towards him, presumably in an attempt to pull her under with him. Once she realized this her fear grew and her struggles intensified. Despite this the Tentacruel continued to drag her towards him. As Nikki struggled Ash managed to get to her. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I've got you!" he said. He then dug his heels in, trying to keep the Tentacruel from dragging her any closer to him. Nikki reached out to him, letting Ash grab both of her hands. Shortly after that Meganium wrapped her vines around Ash's waist. The other Pokémon then grabbed onto Meganium as they tried to help Ash pull Nikki free of the Tentacruel's clutches. Even with their combined strength the Tentacruel was proving to be much more tenacious than they imagined, refusing to release his hold on the girl.

"(Hey, Pikachu! Can't you just blast him with a Thunderbolt or something?!)" Pupitar suggested.

"(That would not be wise, for if he were to use his Thunderbolt the attack would not only hit the Tentacruel but also anything in direct physical contact with him, including us!)" Persian argued.

"(As a Flying type I do not wish to suffer through one of his Thunderbolts! I've seen countless times the devastating effect it has against our opposition!)" Noctowl added.

"(Well someone needs to do something! I don't know how much longer I can hold on!)" Meganium shouted. As strong as the Herb Pokémon was even she had her limits, and she was quickly reaching them.

"(I'm… losing… them!)" Meganium grunted. It was starting to look like the Tentacruel would win in the end as Meganium's hold on Ash was beginning to slip. If something didn't change soon then both Ash and Nikki would find themselves at the mercy of the Jellyfish Pokémon. Corphish, however, wasn't about to let that happen.

"(That does it! I'm taking care of this guy right now!)" Before any of the other Pokémon could speak up Corphish charged towards the Tentacruel.

"(Let go of her now!)" he demanded. Then, without waiting for a reply, he used Vice Grip on the tentacles around Nikki's ankles. The Jellyfish Pokémon roared in pain and frantically swung his tentacles about in an attempt to dislodge the Ruffian Pokémon. This forced him to release his hold on Nikki, allowing Ash and the remaining Pokémon to finally pull her to safety. Now that Nikki was out of danger Corphish let go of the Tentacruel, but rather than join the others he stood in between them and the aggressive Pokémon. Thankfully the Tentacruel had had enough and beat a hasty retreat back underwater.

"Whew… am I glad that's over," Ash sighed. "Thanks, everyone." The Pokémon appreciated the praise, but like Ash they too were glad the situation was resolved and Nikki was safe.

"How about you, Nikki? Are you…" The moment he turned his attention to her gasped at the sight that awaited him. Even though the danger had passed Nikki was still clinging to him, almost as if she were afraid he'd disappear if she let him go. Her body was trembling as tears still poured from her tightly shut eyes.

"Don't let him take me… Please don't let him take me," she whimpered. For Ash and the Pokémon seeing Nikki in this state was nothing short of heartbreaking.

"Oh, Nikki…" The Pokémon all gathered around them as Ash did his best to comfort the frightened girl.

With everything that had occurred earlier Ash took it upon himself to prepare meals for everyone. He wasn't as good as Nikki, but all things considered none of them felt right about asking her to cook.

"(Do you think she'll be okay?)" Pikachu asked as he helped Ash clean up.

"I sure hope so," Ash replied. "There was something about that Tentacruel that had her terrified. I wonder what it was." The two of them glanced back at Nikki's tent where she was currently resting. After everything that happened earlier with the Tentacruel they insisted on her taking it easy for the rest of the day. All of her Pokémon were gathered around the tent, each one concerned about their trainer. None, though, were as concerned as Buneary. The Rabbit Pokémon kept her eyes glued to the tent as if she were expecting something to happen.

"(Try not to worry too much. Nikki will be just fine,)" Ninetails said.

"(Ninetails is right. After she gets a good rest Nikki will be back to her old self again,)" Shinx agreed.

"(I hope you're right,)" Buneary replied. The others were quick to assure the Rabbit Pokémon that they were right. Unfortunately for Nikki, her rest would be anything but good.

"Huh… Where am I?" Everywhere Nikki looked she saw the same thing… nothing. Nothing as far as the eye could see. She had no idea where she was, or how she had got there, but she knew she didn't like it.

"Ash? Pikachu? Buneary? Anyone?" It didn't matter how loud or often she called. The only thing she heard was her own voice echoing back at her.

"Where is everybody?!" she shouted.

"Come on, guys. It's time to move on." Nikki instantly recognized that voice. She turned towards it and saw Ash preparing to leave, Pikachu on one shoulder and Buneary on the other.

"Hey, guys! Wait up!" She went to join them but only managed to take one step before almost falling over. She looked back and saw something wrapped around her ankle. She pulled a few times but found no give.

"What's… going on?" she wondered.

"Okay, let's go." Nikki looked up again and saw Ash, Pikachu and Buneary walking away.

"Guys wait! I'm caught on something!" she called. She tried to pull free again but was still unable to. Then, she heard what sounded like a menacing grumble behind her. She turned around and saw a pair of glowing red eyes glaring back at her. Shortly after that the silhouette of a large creature began to appear. It didn't take long for her to identify the silhouette.

"N-No!" she screamed. Her body instantly went into panic mode as she tried to free herself from the grip of the massive Tentacruel, but no matter what she tried the Jellyfish Pokémon refused to let go. In one last effort she called out to Ash.

"Ash, help me!" she cried. She expected him to come back and help her, but to her horror he continued to walk away almost as if he didn't hear her. Not even Pikachu and Buneary seemed to hear her cries.

"Ash! Please! I need you!" she screamed. Still he continued to walk away from her. As Nikki kept trying to get Ash's attention the Tentacruel reached out with more tentacles and began to wrap them around Nikki. The young girl thrashed about, trying to keep the tentacles from grabbing her. Yet despite her efforts she soon found herself almost completely wrapped up by the Tentacruel.

"No! Let me go!" she screamed. She took one last glance at Ash's retreating form and reached out to him.

"Come back, Ash! Please come back!" she pleaded.

"Nikki…"

"Don't leave me, Ash!"

"Nikki…"

"Please Ash! Don't leave me!"

"Nikki!"

"No!" Nikki sat up with a start, her arm reaching out for something. Panic-filled eyes looked around for a bit. Somehow she was back in her tent. Ash was kneeling down to her right with Pikachu on his shoulder while Buneary sat on her lap, her small eyes filled with concern. The remainder of the Pokémon were all gathered near the front of the tent.

"It's okay, Nikki. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you," Ash said, trying his best to calm her down. That seemed to do the trick, for moments later the panicked look left Nikki's eyes. She then let out a long sigh and fell back onto her sleeping bag.

"It was a dream… It was just a dream," she said, more to herself than anyone else, of course to her it felt more like a nightmare than a dream.

"You had us worried there for a bit," Ash said.

"Sorry about that. It was just a real bad dream," Nikki replied as she sat back up.

"(Did it have anything to do with that Tentacruel from earlier?)" Buneary wondered. As soon as the incident with the Tentacruel was mention Nikki hung her head.

"Y-Yeah, it did," she admitted.

"If you don't mind me asking why did you get so scared back there?" Ash asked.

"Well, you see, I… I have a huge fear of Tentacruel," she said. "I've been afraid of them since I was real young."

"Wow… I never knew," Ash commented.

"(Neither did I,)" Buneary added.

"It's not exactly something I'm proud of," Nikki stated.

"Did something happen to make you scared of them?" Ash inquired. Nikki paused for a bit before agreeing to tell them how she first became afraid of Tentacruel.

"It all happened when I was five years old. My father had just been accepted as a member of the Elite 4. You can imagine how happy my mother and I were. To celebrate we decided to take a family trip to the beach near our home in Pinegrove Town," she explained. Ash and the Pokémon listened intently to her story.

"We had been to this stretch of beach before and had never encountered anything dangerous… that was until that day," Nikki continued.

"Was that when it happened?" Ash asked, to which Nikki nodded.

"I was out swimming. I was still within sight of my parents, so I thought I was still safe," Nikki said. "The next thing I knew something grabbed me and pulled me underwater. When I could finally see all I saw was a massive Tentacruel glaring back at me. I tried to swim back up, but he had me in his tentacles and was pulling me further and further down. No matter how hard I struggled I couldn't break free. I really thought I was done for."

"(What happened next?)" Buneary asked.

"I was starting to get dizzy from a lack of oxygen, but before things got too bad my mom and her Pokémon saved me and drove the Tentacruel away. When she got me back on the beach I broke down and cried in her arms. That was the most frightened I had ever been in my entire life," Nikki said. "We went back home right after that, but by then the damage had been done."

"And that's when you started fearing Tentacruel?" Ash asked.

"It wasn't just Tentacruel I was afraid of," Nikki said. "After that I didn't want to go anywhere near the water. I didn't even want to take a bath without either my mom or dad there."

"But you got over your fear of water, right?" Ash assumed.

"Eventually yeah, but to this day I'm still afraid of Tentacruel," Nikki replied. "Every time I see one I… I'm reminded of what happened that day… and of what almost happened to me."

"Well you don't have to worry. We're not going to let anything happen to you," Ash declared.

"(That's right. You'll be safe with us,)" Pikachu added. Nikki smiled at the support she was getting from her friends.

"Thanks, you guys," she said.

"Oh yeah, you must be hungry," Ash stated. He then handed Nikki a sandwich.

"It's not as good as yours, but I think it turned out okay," Ash said. Nikki hadn't eaten since earlier in the day and was indeed feeling hungry. She took a bite of the sandwich and found that it was better than Ash let on.

"You're selling yourself short, Ash. This sandwich is really good," she praised.

"Thanks, though like I said your cooking is better," he replied.

"Well I can help you get better if you want," she offered.

"I'd like that," Ash said. The two of them smiled as Nikki went back to eating her sandwich. He was about to leave the tent when Nikki began speaking again.

"In my dream… or rather, in my nightmare, I was attacked by that Tentacruel again. I tried to get away, but he grabbed me. I saw you, Pikachu and Buneary in the distance and tried calling out to you for help… but you never came. I don't know if you didn't hear me or what, but you just left. You… You never even turned around." As Nikki spoke everyone could hear her voice starting to crack as her emotions began to get the best of her. Before she completely broke down Ash reached out and took her hand in his.

"Listen to me… that will never happen. I promise I will always be there to protect you," he said. At that moment all of Nikki's fears and concerns seemed to melt away. No matter how down she felt Ash had a way of making her feel better.

"Thanks, Ash. I needed that," she said.

"Anytime," Ash replied.

"So, when are we leaving? I imagine it's getting late," Nikki inquired.

"Oh, it's late alright," Ash confirmed. "In fact it's so late that it'll be better if we just camp here for the night."

"What?! It can't be that late already, can it?" Nikki said.

"Believe me, it is." To prove it Ash moved to the side and held open the flap to the tent. Nikki could only stare wide-eyed as she saw the orange-hued evening sky overhead.

"No way! Just how long was I out for?!" she gasped.

"A few hours. We thought about waking you earlier, but with everything that happened we didn't feel it would have been right," Ash explained. Nikki was glad they thought about her, but at the same time she wanted to get as far away from the lake, and the Tentacruel that live in it, as possible.

"Ash, I… I don't want to stay here. W-What if that Tentacruel comes back in the middle of the night? We won't be able to protect ourselves if we're sleeping," Nikki argued.

"I thought about that, and I think I may have a solution. I've talked to Noctowl, and he's agreed to stand watch while we sleep. If that Tentacruel tries to attack us then Noctowl will let us know," Ash explained.

"I don't know. I'd hate to ask Noctowl to do something he didn't want to," Nikki said.

"Don't worry. He assured me he this was something he wanted to do. He told me Noctowl are more active at night so this was something he had no problem doing," Ash told her. Nikki still wanted to get away from the lake soon, but at least with Noctowl standing guard she felt a bit better about going to sleep that night.

"If Noctowl's going to be keeping watch then I guess I can wait until tomorrow to leave," Nikki relented.

"Don't worry. He'll make sure we're well protected," Ash promised. "Anyway, I need to go clean up before it gets too late."

"Let me help you with that," Nikki offered.

"Are you sure?" Ash asked.

"After what you told me I think I've slept enough for now," Nikki replied. Realizing she was right Ash agreed as the two trainers exited the tent. Unbeknownst to them, however, curious ears had overheard their earlier conversation.

"So, the twerpette has a fear of Tentacruel," Jessie commented.

"What an interesting piece of information, and one I'm sure we'll be able to exploit," James added.

"And I've already got a fool-proof plan on how to do that," Meowth said.

"Oh, do tell," Jessie requested.

"Alright, check this plan out…"

The next morning everyone helped clean up their campsite. The Tentacruel never returned, much to the relief of Nikki who had no desire to encounter him a second time.

"Thanks for keeping watch, Noctowl. You have no idea how much that meant to me," Nikki said.

"(It was my pleasure, Nikki,)" the shiny Pokémon replied. Ash offered his own word of thanks before returning Noctowl to his Poké Ball for a well-deserved, and much needed rest.

"Okay, we're all packed up and ready to go," Ash announced.

"And not a moment too soon," Nikki commented. She was more than eager to leave, but before they could take their first step the water in the lake began to churn, as if something were coming up to the surface.

"Oh no… what if it's that Tentacruel again?" Nikki wondered, her voice riddled with fear.

"If it is then I have the perfect Pokémon to deal with him," Ash said. He threw out a Poké Ball and called on Corphish, remembering how easily he had handled the Jellyfish Pokémon the day before. Pikachu and Buneary also took battle-ready stances next to him.

"Stay sharp, everyone!" Ash advised. The three Pokémon stood ready, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their opponents. The wait was not long, for moments later the water shot upwards, signaling the arrival of the mystery attacker. However…

"What is that?" Ash asked.

"Is that a… Tentacruel?" It was indeed a Tentacruel, but not the type of Tentacruel they were expecting. Rather than a living creature the one before them was clearly mechanical. It was at least three times the size of a normal Tentacruel. The two red orbs on top of its head had been changed to pods. The one on the left appeared to be some kind of holding chamber while the one on the right was a cockpit for its three familiar-looking pilots.

"Out of the sky, falling with grace.

A spark in the eye, arriving with haste.

Ready and willing to put twerps in their place.

Jessie!

James!

Meowth's the name!

Team Rocket, burning a trail!

Blazing a path!

Kickin' some tail!

Wobbu Wobbuffet!

Mime Mime Mime Mime!"

"Team Rocket?! What are you doing here?!" Ash shouted.

Well obviously we're here for Pikachu," Jessie stated.

"But as an added bonus we think we'll take your other Pokémon while we're at it," James added.

"Not if we can help it!" Nikki declared. It was at that moment Team Rocket realized that something seemed to be going wrong with their plan.

"What gives? I thought the twerpette was terrified of Tentacruel," James wondered.

"She sure doesn't look terrified. If anything she looks ready to attack," Jessie said.

"Hey! How come you're not scared of us?!" Meowth shouted.

"Why would we be scared of you three?!" Ash replied.

"The twerpette is supposed to be afraid of Tentacruel, isn't she?!" Meowth inquired.

"How did you find out I… wait a minute! Were you three spying on us yesterday?!" Nikki asked.

"Who cares if we were or not! This whole plan revolves around you being afraid of our mechanical Tentacruel!" Jessie shouted.

"Well your plan failed miserably!" Nikki said.

"I thought you said this was a fool-proof plan, Meowth!" James griped.

"It was!" Meowth responded.

"We were the fools for believing you!" Jessie groaned.

"Use Jump Kick!" While Team Rocket argued amongst themselves Nikki called for Buneary to use her Jump Kick. The small Normal type sprang towards the robotic Tentacruel and delivered a powerful kick to it, causing it to topple over in the water. The fall caused Team Rocket to be jostled around in the cockpit.

"Meowth, your plan isn't working!" Jessie yelled.

"Tell me something I don't already know!" Meowth retorted.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Corphish, Bubblebeam!" Ash called.

"Use Hidden Power, Buneary!" Nikki shouted. The three Pokémon launched their attacks at Team Rocket. The impact of the attacks caused the robot to short out, resulting in an explosion that sent the devious trio hurtling through the air.

"We're blasting off again!" they screamed.

"And that takes care of them," Ash commented. All of them were relieved to have Team Rocket out of their hair, but that relief was short-lived, for moments later the water in the lake shot up again as another Tentacruel surfaced.

This one, however, was the real thing.

"(Looks like he's back for Round 2!)" Buneary yelled. It was indeed the same one from the day before, and he looked ready to pick up where he left off.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Ash called. He and the Pokémon all started to retreat, but they only took a few steps before realizing someone wasn't following.

"(Nikki, come on!)" Buneary shouted. It was just like it was yesterday when Nikki first saw the massive Tentacruel. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to move.

"(She's too scared to move!)" Pikachu shouted. Ash recalled what happened yesterday when he didn't react fast enough and was determined to not let that happen again.

"I'm coming, Nikki!" he shouted. He took off in her direction, but the Pinegrove native was too griped with fear to notice. All she could focus on was the overwhelming terror she felt at the sight before her. The Jellyfish Pokémon continued to glower at her, his eyes seemingly glaring straight through her. She wanted to run, but her body refused to do as she wanted.

"No, no no! Not again!" Just when it looked like she would once again be at the mercy of the Tentacruel she felt something grab her arm and start to pull her away from the Jellyfish Pokémon.

"Hurry up, Nikki!" Ash shouted. Nikki finally snapped out of her fear-induced paralysis and started running along with Ash. The Tentacruel, however, wasn't going to let them get away that easily. Before they got too far he fired a Poison Sting at them.

"(Look out!)" Buneary warned. Ash turned around just in time to see the incoming attack.

"(Hit the deck!)" Pikachu shouted. Ash and Nikki quickly fell to the ground and covered their heads. Pikachu, Buneary and Corphish then launched a combination of Thunderbolt, Hidden Power and Bubblebeam at the Poison Sting. The three combined attacks easily overpowered the Poison Sting and continued on towards the Tentacruel. However, the Jellyfish Pokémon simply dove underwater and avoided the attacks all together. He then quickly resurfaced and fired another Poison Sting, this time taking aim at the Pokémon.

"(Scatter!)" Pikachu shouted. All of them dove in different directions to avoid the attack, and as a result they were left a bit disoriented. Corphish, however, recovered quickly and glared at the Tentacruel.

"(Oh you're going to pay for that!)" He lunged at the Tentacruel, his pincers extended and opened wide as he prepared for a Vice Grip. However, the Tentacruel expected that. Just before Corphish reached him he ducked back underwater. Corphish came to a stop right at the edge of the water, wondering why the Tentacruel suddenly retreated.

"I don't get it. Why did he back down like that?" Ash wondered.

"If it means he's gone then I could care less," Nikki said. Corphish continued to look around, waiting to see if the Tentacruel would resurface. The Tentacruel's next course of action, however, was much more devious. Everyone was so focused on waiting for him to resurface that they were unprepared when two of his tentacles shot out of the water and grabbed Corphish's pincers. The Ruffian Pokémon was so surprised by this it made it easy for the Tentacruel to pull him underwater.

"Corphish, no!" Ash shouted. Despite their concern and desire to help all any of them could do was wait and hope that Corphish would emerge victorious.

Shortly after being pulled underwater Corphish found himself completely at the mercy of the much larger Tentacruel. The Tentacruel still had his tentacles wrapped around Corphish's pincers, which meant the Ruffian Pokémon was limited in what he could do to defend himself. The Tentacruel, however, had no limitations on what he could do and had no problem showing it as he fired a Poison Sting at almost point-blank range. In the face of the relentless assault Corphish could only use Harden to limit the amount of damage he took. The defensive move worked, but the small amount of damage he was taking was starting to build. After a while the Tentacruel stopped his attack.

"(You should never have invaded my territory, and once I'm done with you I'll finish what I started with those surface-dwellers,)" the Jellyfish Pokémon declared.

"(Not if… I… have anything… to say… about it,)" Corphish argued.

"(And what can you do to stop me?)" the Tentacruel challenged. In his current situation Corphish was at a huge disadvantage. The Tentacruel was much bigger and stronger than him, and with his pincers immobilized the Ruffian Pokémon had no way to fight back. But he was still determined to defeat the Jellyfish Pokémon, and that determination had just awakened a power within him.

"(Let me show you… what I'll do!)" Right then Corphish started glowing a bright white. The Tentacruel was so shocked he inadvertently let go of Corphish's pincers. That proved to be a mistake, for mere moments later he was on the receiving end of an uppercut that sent him flying back towards the surface.

"Come on, Corphish. Where are you?" Ever since Corphish and the Tentacruel disappeared underwater Ash had been fretting over the safety of his Water-type Pokémon. Nikki and the other Pokémon had been doing everything they could to ease his worries, but their efforts had little effect.

"I'm sure Corphish is fine, Ash. You just need to have a little faith in him," Nikki said.

"(She's right. We both know Corphish has come back from more overwhelming odds than this,)" Pikachu added.

"I know, but… I wonder if I let him get in over his head this time," Ash replied.

"I doubt it. Corphish is strong, and I'm sure that…"

"(Hey! What's up with the lake?)" Buneary shouted. They looked and saw a white light that appeared to be coming from underwater.

"What is that?" Nikki wondered.

"No clue," Ash replied. As they continued to watch the light faded. Moments later and water erupted skyward as the Tentacruel shot out of the lake.

"No! He's back!" Nikki shrieked. Ash and the Pokémon were prepared to battle him when, to their surprise, he came crashing down to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say something attacked underwater," Ash commented.

"(I think something did,)" Pikachu said. While the Tentacruel was trying to recover something else shot out of the lake and landed in front of them. The newcomer was a large crustacean-like Pokémon that stood on two legs. He had two pairs of pincers, large ones at the end of his arms and two smaller ones on his lower abdomen. He also had a star on his forehead.

"That's a Crawdaunt!" Nikki gasped. She quickly took out her Pokécomm and scanned him:

Name: Crawdaunt

Species: The Rouge Pokémon

Pokécomm Entry: Loving to battle, this Pokémon pinches all Pokémon that enter its territory with its pincers and throws them out.

"(What's a Crawdaunt doing here?)" Buneary wondered. At first no one knew where the Crawdaunt came from or what he was even doing there, but after a while they started putting the pieces together.

"(Hey, doesn't Crawdaunt evolve from Corphish?)" Buneary asked.

"(Yeah, it does,)" Pikachu confirmed.

"Then does that mean…"

"Of course! Corphish evolved!" Ash exclaimed.

"(Then that light we saw earlier must have been Corphish evolving,)" Pikachu concluded.

"That's awesome, Crawdaunt!" Ashy praised. The Rogue Pokémon glanced over at them and smirked. Things were going to be different now that he had evolved.

"G-Guys… t-the Tentacruel is getting back up!" Nikki screamed. Enough time had passed for the Tentacruel to regain his bearings. He slowly righted himself and stood up on his tentacles, glaring at the newly-evolved Crawdaunt.

"Well if it's a battle he wants then we're going to give it to him! Right, Crawdaunt?!" Ash shouted. Crawdaunt flexed and snapped his massive pincers a few times. The Tentacruel had no interest in posturing and fired a Poison Sting at Crawdaunt.

"Counter with Bubblebeam!" Ash instructed. Crawdaunt opened up one of his pincers from which a powerful stream of bubble shot from. The two attacks collided, and for a brief moment it appeared as though they were evenly matched. However Crawdaunt's new strength soon began to shine as his Bubblebeam easily tore through the Tentacruel's Poison Sting and, despite his resistance to Water type attacks, caused a considerable amount of damage to the Jellyfish Pokémon.

"Way to go! Now use Crabhammer!" Ash shouted. Crawdaunt wasn't about to let the Tentacruel recover. He charged forward and sent the Jellyfish Pokémon skyward with a Crabhammer uppercut.

"Now follow up with Vice Grip!" Ash called. Crawdaunt easily managed to jump up to where the Tentacruel was, but instead of using Vice Grip his pincers took on a dark glow as he slashed at him, sending the Jellyfish Pokémon crashing into the water.

"That wasn't Vice Grip," Ash commented.

"That looked like Night Slash!" Nikki gasped.

"That's great, Crawdaunt!" Ash praised.

"(Hey! The Tentacruel's recovering!)" Buneary shouted. He was indeed recovering, but the bout with Crawdaunt was wearing him out.

"Keep up the pressure! Use Bubblebeam!" Ash said. This time Crawdaunt used both of his pincers to fire the Water type attack, putting more power into the attack than last time. The Jellyfish Pokémon had little time to react before he was basted by the attack. By now he realized he realized he was in a battle he couldn't win and quickly retreated underwater.

"There he goes, hopefully for good," Ash commented.

"I say we get out of here before he decides to come back again," Nikki suggested. There were no protests as Ash recalled Crawdaunt and the group quickly left the lake.

Hours later the group found a road that would take them to Kamillia Town. Naturally no one was more thankful for this than Nikki.

"Hopefully I'll finally win one. I need to get things going my way," she said.

"I'm sure you will. You and your Pokémon have been working real hard. It's bound to pay off this time," Ash commented.

"I hope you're right," Nikki said.

"I know I am," Ash declared. Nikki smiled and nodded. If Ash was sure she would win then she would be too, and so the group continued on towards Kamillia Town, where Nikki's next Pokémon Contest awaited her.