Journey

Death of Duty

Part 2: Rocket's Rise

Vermillion

Every battle is but a small part of the war. — Lieutenant Colonel Emmett "Surge" Roth

I stood at the seawall, a pair of trainers flanking me on each side. I'd arrived at the rally point too late to catch a glimpse of Surge and was folded into the waiting defenses by one of the few Indigo Rangers on site. He had me change the dial on my pokegear radio to the local emergency broadcast and pointed me towards a particularly thin section of the defense, a small beach in central Vermillion.

I found the place easily enough, five trainers and a pair of grizzled old Rangers waiting at the makeshift fortifications on the edges of the beach with a second line of defences further back to pick off any straggling tentacruel.

We were lined up along the seawall, waves serenely lapping at the beach. I'd been placed in the second line along with the other trainers, with the Indigo Rangers taking up the forward positions on the flanks of the beach. I was one of three novices at this particular beach, with one of the trainers intermediate level. There was one elite-level, but he stood alone on the right side of the beach. One of the Rangers stood with him, deep in a rushed conversation.

Harold, the man to my right shifted nervously. He was short and pudgy, a rarity for a trainer. We were usually hardy folk, not prone to pudgy guts or excess weight. Harold had seemingly missed that memo.

"Heard they couldn't find any 'cool when coast guard hit the swarm." He was an intermediate, having defeated Surge in battle the week before. "All 'cruel, took down half the initial strike before they pulled back. It didn't sound good on the radio."

I turned my head. "That doesn't sound possible," I said. "But it does explain the pair of 'cruel that came ashore yesterday evening."

He raised an eyebrow. I explained the kids, and the horror scene I had discovered at the camp. He simply shook his head and looked back at the ocean as he muttered nervously under his breath.

The Ranger turned away from the elite and began jogging back towards the other mound of sandbags while yelling something that was lost in the wind. I followed where he was pointing and my jaw damn near hit the ground.

The sea was alive with movement as far as the eye could see. The swarm stretched across the horizon, churning the choppy sea into a frothy white. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. It was hard to see how my two novice-level pokemon would be able to make a difference against the endless swarm.

Trainers were obligated to assist Indigo Rangers whenever ordered. It was part of the League contract, part of the original reason for the League's creation. It was the civic duty of every single trainer to defend humankind when called upon. It was a part of life as a trainer, being ready to drop everything and defend our species from wild pokemon.

Despite the knowledge that I was doing my duty to humanity, I felt a growing pit in my stomach. The swarm inched closer by the second and more than ever, I became acutely aware of my own mortality. There was a very real possibility that some of the trainers on this beach would not make it through the day alive.

My hand dropped to my belt, releasing Luna and Pride. They stood at my side, seeming to innately understand the gravity of the situation. They could probably smell the tenta swarm. That, or they just read the situation off of my tense body language.

The Ranger turned to us, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Get ready! Take down any who get through!"

I glanced behind me, at the hasty barricade of cars piled up along the two boulevards into the city centre. They seemed tiny now compared to the swarm. I didn't see how just six trainers and two Rangers could hold even a fraction of the swarm back. We were nothing against a force like that. Barely even specks of sand attempting to stand before the storm.

A pair of helicopters buzzed overhead, heading straight out to sea. I watched them circle around and drop lower, searching for something. Maybe the centre of the storm, maybe their leader, I didn't know. I had larger concerns.

The white water roared closer and I realized that it wasn't the wind that I could hear. It was the roar of the water as thousands upon thousands of tentacruel thrashed towards us. The swarm entered the harbour and I began to hear the sounds of battle break out across the city as the swarm began to come ashore.

The beach began to stir with movement. The elite released his pokemon and the rest did the same. I nervously patted Luna on the head for support. She pressed into my hand, sensing my nerves. Pride barked at my side, whining for some attention of his own. I obliged him with a scratch under his chin. It did nothing to calm my nerves.

Harold had released an electabuzz and a gloom, both of which huddled close to him. The other two trainers were novices, both of them releasing a pikachu.

I glanced down at the rangers and the elite. A rhydon and a nidoking stood shoulder to shoulder in the centre of the beach. A raichu and a jolteon stood at the flanks of the beach. The elite had a scizor at one shoulder. A hulking magmortar stood at the other, careful to stand at a safe distance from the steel bug.

"Ever been a part of civic defense before?" Harold asked.

I shook my head. "Only been registered for two months. Earned my second badge..." I trailed off into thought. "Just under a week ago."

"Damn," he replied. "Two badges in two months? Colour me impressed, kid. What's your name?"

"Marcus."

He looked back down to the beach. "Well, Marcus. This is the third time I've been called on. It's probably not gonna be a walk in the park, but the Rangers will see us through."

I looked down at the beach as the tentacruel began to beach themselves. The rhydon and nidoking were there, dispatching the 'cruel with every blow. Still, they came by the dozens, more and more of the creatures forcing themselves ashore.

The two titans gave way, ceding the beachhead as the ranged attackers began to bombard the tentacruel. Bolts of lightning leapt across the beach, energy balls sliced through thrashing tentacles, a frozen beam of blue light erupted from the nidoking and impaled the centre of the swarm. The front line withered, but more tentacruel pushed through the barrage and slowly but surely began to gain ground.

There was no stopping them, not with how many there were. The cruel were forcing their way through with the sheer force of numbers. The weight of the swarm in the bay pressed them inland and forced countless tentacruel ashore and into the range of our pokemon.

Luna raised her head, another energy ball gathering in her jaws as Pride shocked one of the lead tentacruel. She released the attack and I watched it shear through a tentacruel's beak and into the blubbery mass of its body. The swarm simply swallowed the injured mon, a dozen more of the tentacruel climbing over it to advance inland.

The elite's scizor disappeared in a metallic blur. It carved a path through the swarm, a trail of amputated tentacles and shredded carcasses in its wake. An eruption of flame from the magmortar washed over the swarm, vaporizing the front line of tentacruel completely. A second blast punched a hole clean through the centre of the swarm and left it scattered.

The scizor doubled back, a mirage of death that simply left nothing living in his wake.

My jaw hit the floor. The elite decimated the swarm in moments. It went from an unstoppable wall of death to a scattered few survivors in one exchange. More tentacruel dragged themselves ashore as the , but the scizor was there, cutting through the swarm before it could reestablish a proper beachhead. The magmortar lumbered over to the shore, flame beginning to leak from her hand cannons.

The rhydon and nidoking were there, pushing back on the tentacruel still coming ashore. A few of the swarm managed to push through but found their deaths at the claws of the scizor not ten feet inland.

The magmortar erupted again, fire streaming from both cannons and washing over the swarm. The water erupted into steam on contact with the jets of flame and I couldn't help but marvel at the raw power of the fire-type. I heard a terrible screech of pain and I realized that the swarm was screaming as the magmortar attempted to boil it alive.

Then I saw them. The tentacruel had forced themselves up on a concrete jetty on the right side of the beach. Only a few had managed to pull themselves up the sheer wall and onto land, but even one behind the front line could cost us the entire defence. I saw it all unfold in my mind, envisioning the trio of tentacruel descend on the elite before he could turn and face it.

I knew what we had to do. The second line wasn't being tested, wasn't offering any real support from this distance. All we were doing was wasting our energy. We weren't having any effect on this battle. But we could.

"Harold, the right flank," I started. "It's gonna fall."

He shook his head. "That's an elite. He's fine."

I shook my head and pointed. The tentacruel were hauling themselves ashore, another pair pulling themselves up the wall to escape the boiling water. The swarm below was realizing they had a path ashore and were beginning to push harder up the wall. "We gotta go now!"

Harold followed my arm and swore. He whipped his head around, looking at the other two novices. "Hold the centre," he ordered.

I didn't hear their responses. I was already halfway to the jetty. I couldn't just stand and watch as our defence failed. Not while I could act and do something. Not while I could help.

Luna dashed ahead of me, an energy ball swirling in her jaws. She loosed her attack as Pride bounded past both of us. He lowered his shoulder and slammed into the lead tentacruel just as Luna's energy ball impaled its bulbous crown. It stopped short, falling backwards into the trio of tentacruel that had climbed ashore. The one in the back clumsily slipped off the jetty and knocked the rest of the tentacruel attempting to climb up off back into the water below. I watched four of the pokemon splash back down in the water and felt a small sigh of relief.

Pride crackled with electricity before I even gave the order. I grimaced as I realized that he was too close to effectively hit all the tentacruel. It would hit one, and only one.

"Thunder punch!" Harold roared as he dashed to my side.

His electabuzz was alive with lightning, his fists wreathed in living electricity. He pummeled into the tentacruel, beating back a pair of the wild pokemon before they could roll over Pride and force us back.

Pride erupted with lightning, skewering the first tentacruel as it attempted to rise. The pokemon convulsed rapidly, tentacles writhing as my nidorino electrocuted it relentlessly. He cut off the bolt and I watched him sag with exhaustion.

"Push them back into the water!" I shouted. I turned to Harold. "Get ready to shock the water!"

Pride lowered his shoulder and plowed into the tentacruel. Harold's electabuzz joined him a half a moment later. Luna's eyes flashed as one of the tentacruel attempted to drag itself over it's comatose kin. I watched the tentacruel's form ripple slightly and it went completely slack. It collapsed on top of the first tentacruel, beak agape and tentacles slack.

I stared at that tentacruel while our pokemon shoved them back towards the water. Its proportions were all wrong, it's crown bulbous and misshapen like it had undergone an extreme growth spurt on certain parts of its body. Only two tentacles protruded from the bottom of its crown. I stared harder. The longer I looked the more I noticed. It's beak was misshapen, only half as large on top as it was on the bottom. This was no ordinary tentacruel.

My eyes flitted to another one of the tentacruel, spotting the same kind of deformities as I had on the first one. I looked over at Harold as the pair of conscious tentacruel splashed down into the bay. "Something's wrong with them."

He shot me a look. "With who?"

"The tentacruel," I replied. "They don't look right. Almost like they didn't evolve properly." I strode over to the two tentacruel still on land and pulled the top one off the pile. "Look," I said. "The crown is all messed up and there's not enough tentacles."

Harold shuddered slightly at the sight of the tentacruel. "There's plenty of tentacles for me."

I shook my head. "Put that aside for a moment. The swarm is all tentacruel. That's not something that should be possible in nature." I looked out at the bay, watching the pair of helicopters circling lower. "This wasn't a natural event."

A bolt of lightning erupted from the first helicopter. It forked and split into a dozen points of white hot light that eagerly leapt to the water below. A second bolt from the other helicopter dwarfed it, washing over the swarm and bathing the bay in electricity.

I stepped back as Pride turned and kicked the tentacruel off the pier with his hind legs. "Thunderbolt!" I shouted.

Harold was beside me, ordering his electabuzz to do the same. Our pokemon stepped up to the ledge, electricity sparking and racing along Pride's spines and between the electabuzz's horns. They loosed their attacks together, bathing the swarm in electricity as Surge did the same from the helicopters.

I glanced sideways at the misshapen tentacruel. It stared back at me with dead eyes. I felt a pit grow in my stomach and I knew that the sight of that grotesque mockery of evolution would haunt me in my sleep. I averted my eyes. I still had a city to defend.

Surge had decimated the centre of the swarm from the choppers, leaving us with the remnants of the tentacruel still coming ashore. At least half of the swarm disappeared out to sea. Surge then pressed towards land, trapping the rest of the swarm up against Vermillion's harbour. The choppers were still closing, bolts of lightning wiping out entire swathes of the swarm.

Harold was further down the pier, pushing the swarm back into the water. They'd attempted to come ashore further down to avoid us again. More trainers had come from other positions, spreading ourselves out along the shore of Vermillion. We held the swarm at bay while Surge systematically slaughtered the rest of the swarm. It wasn't until silence fell on the city and the water fell still that I finally let myself relax.

I looked down at the beach. It was covered in dead tentacruel. The elite and the two rangers stood in the centre of the carnage, their pokemon battered and bruised but still standing strong.

I wandered over to the beach, horrified by the scene. Every step brought more death, more terror. The tentacruel were misshapen and hardly half-evolved. Each and every one of them were disfigured in some fresh way, stunted in some horrible new way. Where they weren't misshapen by their failed evolutions, they had been torn apart by our pokemon.

I looked over at the Rangers and elite, deep in a hushed conversation. "What's wrong with them?" I asked as I approached, bluntly forcing myself into the conversation. "It's like they're still half a tentacool."

The elite turned his head and I felt his cold glare on me. His hair was the colour of snow, his eyes piercing grey. I shuddered as he regarded me with that cold, unforgiving stare. "That is what we were just discussing, novice."

I frowned. "My name is Marcu-"

"I know who you are. Just like all the rest." He turned away with a sneer on his face. "Just a prideful fool who thinks himself above orders."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Rangers. Neither of them said anything. This elite-level trainer had them cowed into submission. "Look, you asshole," I started, facing down the trainer. "I don't know who you are and I don't particularly care. But at least show some appreciation when someone watches your back for you."

He cocked his head to the side and gave me a cold smile. "What makes you think I don't already have someone to watch my back?" I felt the temperature drop imperceptibly as a shiver ran down my spine. A shadow shifted behind the elite and my eyes widened as the shadow thickened into a shapeless form clad in a wide brimmed hat and flowing robes. I couldn't see its face under the hat, only two glowing eyes that called to me, chanted my name. They wanted me, wanted me to-

Luna snarled and stepped in front of me, smoke curling out from her jaws. I snapped out of the trance and nearly stumbled over my own feet. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and tried to block out the terrifying urge to throttle the elite where he stood.

He looked down at Luna with an expression of amusement. "Such loyalty," he started as his smirk faded. "Impressive, for a novice." He turned back to the rangers and bowed his head. "It has been an honour, gentlemen." He looked over at me. "Novice," he said, bowing his head. He strode off into the city without another word.

I watched him go, my eyes burning holes into the back of his head. "Who was that prick?" I asked.

Harold walked up to my side. "Elias Greenwin, second runner up at last year's Indigo Conference." He turned to the rangers and bowed his head slightly. "Rangers," he said in a respectful tone.

They nodded back and looked over at me. "You said something about the tentacruel?"

I turned away from Elias' retreating form and looked back at the rangers. "Yeah, there was something wrong with them. It was almost like it hadn't finished evolving."

The Ranger on the left furrowed his brow. "We noticed too," he replied. "Reports from all over the city are saying the same things."

His colleague took over. "If it's any consolation, that's a good thing. A full swarm that size of all tentacruel should have breached the city worse than this."

"How bad?" I asked.

The rangers looked at each other and then back at me. "We're not really supposed to share that information," the one on the left started. "But it wasn't good. At least a dozen trainers still missing, six confirmed deaths so far."

He glanced in the direction that Elias had disappeared in and then back at me. "You know, he may be a prick but the swarm didn't breach our line primarily because of him."

"We pushed them back when they tried to flank him," I protested. "I wasn't expecting a thanks, but he didn't need to degrade me in public."

The ranger on the right shrugged. "Don't take it too harshly, kid. Mr. Greenwin has been a part of over a hundred civic defence operations. He didn't need your help there. He's seen his fair share of novices kill themselves disobeying orders."

He turned and motioned to the carnage surrounding them. "No novice, no matter how competent, could have survived being on this beach during the assault. Our orders were there to protect you as much as they were to protect the city." He smiled softly and met my eyes. I could tell he was trying to be nice. "Despite what the general public might think, we don't want to use trainers as cannon fodder. Our battle plans always take into account the danger to you trainers. You're still civvies at the end of the day, just temporarily conscripted ones."

I paused, looking down at the ground. The Ranger was right, even if it hurt to hear.

He put his hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. "You did good, kid. Even if you did disobey orders. You took charge of the situation and proved you can think on your feet and adapt to changing situations, which is what the gym challenge is really meant to teach you."

The second Ranger piped up, a smile crossing his face. "Speaking of, you got a date set for Surge yet?"

I turned to look at him. "You know who I am?" I asked incredulously.

He nodded with a knowing smile. "First time getting recognized?" He nodded to himself. "I'm a bit of a battle-nut myself. Saw your battle with Misty. Not a bad show, kid."

My cheeks flushed and I felt a rush of adrenaline. "Thanks," I said. "I actually just got to Vermilion. No date set with Leader Surge yet."

"Word of advice, find yourself something that can take a hit. Until you have three battle-capable pokemon, you aren't a match for Surge."

I frowned. "I have three pokemon."

"That happiny doesn't count," The Ranger scoffed. "You need something that can fight. We both know she'd be killed if you brought her into the battle."

I looked down at my feet. He was right. Curie was just a baby. It had worked against Shale because the Onix was a child herself. Curie couldn't compete in a real gym challenge. That would end in only one way. A pink smear across the battlefield and my heart crushed.

"I'll have to think about that." I replied quietly. He was right, I desperately needed to add to my team.

I turned away as the two novices with the pikachu came down the beach. I returned Luna to her ball and put her next to Pride and Curie's balls.

I slunk away from the beach after that. I passed Harold while he sat against a wall. His eyes were closed and he was talking into his pokegear in a sad, hushed tone. I didn't bother to intrude and figured I would make my way to the nearest motel.

I made it two blocks before I happened across her. The corpse of a tentacruel was draped over a woman's lower half, tentacles wrapped around her legs. She was squirming, trying and failing to get out from under the pokemon. Her shoulder length blonde hair was plastered with jelly and tentacruel guts and more leaked out of the dead pokemon every moment.

"Could you help me?" She asked, waving me over. "Some asshole saved me, but he walked off before helping me out of this thing's grip." She looked off down the street. "Stupid white-haired asshole. Didn't even stop to make sure I was ok."

I frowned. I'm pretty sure I knew who she was talking about. "I'll help you," I said. I grabbed the top of the tentacruel's crown and lifted it slightly.

She squirmed, trying to tear the tentacles off her legs. She pulled herself out from underneath the pokemon and I dropped it to the side.

I held out my hand to help her up. "You ok?" I asked.

She nodded, taking my hand and getting to her feet. She stumbled and almost fell, but I caught her as she went down against me.

"I'm sorry, my ankle hurts." She stood back up and tested it experimentally. She winced and looked at me. "I don't know if I can walk on it."

I smiled. "I'll help you, where do you need me to take you?"

"I have a friend staying at the pokemon centre down near the gym," she said. "If you could help me get there, I'd be so grateful."

I carried her there, supporting her the whole way. She talked my ear off the entire way there, running through a myriad of topics and telling me far more about her friend's life than I felt comfortable with. I lowered her onto one of the benches in front of the centre and nodded a quick goodbye.

I'd have stayed at the pokemon centre, but they were swamped with all the injured trainers and their pokemon. There wasn't room for the patients they did have, let alone any uninjured guests. Luna and Pride hadn't been hurt, just exhausted from the fighting.

I released them as soon as I closed and locked the door. I tossed my belt and pack towards the bed. Curie could wait at least until I was showered. I disappeared into the bathroom and revelled in the glorious sensation of warm water running through my coarse, filthy hair.

I emerged from the bathroom more than an hour later, wrapped in the absurdly fuzzy robe the motel had provided. I collapsed onto the bed and fumbled in my pack. I pulled out Curie's formula and bottle. I mixed her a full bottle and reached over for her ball. I froze. It was gone.

I rummaged through my pack frantically. It wasn't there. I lifted the mattress and tossed it aside, praying that the ball had just fallen off my belt and rolled under the bed. Pride scrambled away, shredding the mattress and sheets with his spines as he fled the flying bed. The ball wasn't there.

I stood there, panic setting in. I'd had her ball before the swarm had attacked, definitely had seen it when releasing Pride and Luna and then again when I had returned them. My heart sank as I realized that I hadn't seen it since then.

My belt was back on, Pride and Luna were returned to their balls and my pack was slung back over my shoulder. I slammed the door behind me, not wasting time to lock the door. I sprinted off headlong towards the beach, towards my precious Curie.

I could only pray that her ball was still there.

Curie was gone. I'd combed every inch of the beach, walked the path that I'd taken helping the woman. The Rangers still on the beach hadn't seen a stray pokeball and I found nothing retracing my steps. I was absolutely shredded inside. My Curie, my precious little soul was simply gone.

I wandered back to where Harold and I had pushed back the tentacruel and stared out into the water. The Rangers had begun cleanup, two small ships dragging trawling nets behind them. I could see more ships further out on the bay, no doubt doing the same as they cleaned up.

I sat down and looked out at the water. My legs dangled off the pier. My hand went to the empty spot on my belt, where Curie's ball had been. I felt the tears flow. There was nothing I could do to stop them. My pokemon was gone. She was gone and I hadn't even noticed.

I stayed there a long time, just staring out at the ships clearing the bay. I felt numb, like I might never feel right again. I don't know when I rose from that pier. I found myself walking slowly in the direction of the motel I'd checked into. I was climbing the stairs to the motel's second floor before I knew it.

I reached out for the door handle and pushed the door open. It swung open and I realized that the door hadn't been closed. I stepped inside and immediately recoiled from the dank smell of cigarette smoke.

Curie bounded off the perfectly made bed. She squealed happily and leapt into my arms. I pulled her close, my heart pounding in my chest. "Where did you just come from?" I asked. I held her at an arm's length. "And how'd you get out of your ball?"

Curie disappeared in a flash of red light. I felt her form evaporate in my arms as she was returned to her ball. I looked up. The room was dark, but I could tell it had been cleaned. The room was pristine, the bed put back together with a new sheets and mattress. The door swung shut and a lithe figure rose from the chair by the window.

"I have your attention, I presume?" she asked. Her voice had a musical, lilting cadence to it and her words were slow and deliberate. "It's disrespectful to leave a woman waiting."

I turned to get a better look at her, my hand dropping to my belt as I went for Luna.

She tutted and whipped her arm towards me. I felt my hair stand on end and tasted ozone for half a moment. Then lightning erupted from the flower in her hand. It hit me in the shoulder, tossing me backwards onto the bed like I was a rag doll.

I scrambled back towards the headboard as she leapt up onto the bed. She whipped her arm out again and the device in her hand extended into a short staff. The stylized tulip on the end crackled and sparked with electricity as she held it out towards me.

I pushed off the headboard as hard as I could, kicking her legs out from under her. She fell forward as I bucked to the side, rolling us both off the bed. I continued the roll, trying to pin her against the floor.

The woman was faster and smarter than I'd hoped though. She used the momentum from our roll and slammed me face down against the floor. She dug one knee into my back and wrenched my arm up behind me in one swift movement. I roared in pain and attempted to buck her off but she slammed me back into the floor.

"Give me my pokemon!" I shouted. "Give her ba-"

She shoved a rolled up sock into my mouth, gagging me. "Look," she started in a bubbly tone. "As much as I'd like to kick the crap out of you for the rest of the day, I do have better things to do." She jabbed me in the ribs with her taser-pole and I stopped squirming. It was the woman from earlier, the one I'd helped to the centre.

"Good," she remarked, a sly grin crossing her face. "I think you get the picture." She leaned in close and I felt her shoulder length hair brush against my neck. "It's time we established how this relationship is going to work. You're Silph's newest prize trainer. My organization has a vested interest in Silph's going ons. You're going to do what we say when we say it. If not?" Her voice trailed off and she let go of my arm as she leaned back. "There are so very many ways to destroy a pokeball."

I reached up and pulled the sock out of my mouth as she got off of me. I rose to my feet, carefully regarding the woman. She was shorter than me by at least a full head, but built like a slim tauros. I knew instantly that I'd never had any realistic chance fighting her. She'd had me at a disadvantage before I'd even known that no advantage could be had. She'd tricked me by pretending to need my help, then used that to steal my Curie and blackmail me.

"She's just a baby," I said carefully, gauging my words. "Please don't hurt her."

The woman shot me a dazzling smile and I almost forgot that she was threatening me and my pokemon for half a heartbeat. "I won't have to, if you do what I say."

"Which is?" I asked impatiently.

She cocked her head to the side, her eyes studying me openly. "Nothing… for now. You're well on track," she said. "Continue your gym challenge. We'll let you know what we need when the time comes."

I stood there in silence. She nodded her head towards me and smoothed her jacket. I noticed the stylized red R on the collar and filed that detail away. She smiled again, a smile so charming that again I found myself disarmed by the woman. "Until next time then, Marcus Wright."

I followed her to the door, watching her go. She walked calmly down the stairwell and disappeared into the night.

I didn't move from my doorway for a long time. I just stood there, staring out at the night until the morning fog began to roll in and the sun began to rise over the bay. Only then did I close the door and cross to my bed. Only then did I finally let sleep take me.

Pokédex Entry #73 – Tentacruel

This large aquatic pokemon gathers large numbers of its unevolved brethren in massive swarms when hunting for prey. While typically not overtly aggressive towards humans, some "Tenta-Swarms" have shown some aggression towards isolated vessels. Caution is advised, as tentacruel are capable of hauling themselves aboard passing vessels when prey is scarce.

Long theorized to possess rudimentary psychic ability, the recent discovery of a powerful paralytic agent secreted by this pokemon's tentacles has put this theory to rest.

Novice trainer KT#07996101 Marcus Wright, current team:

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino