Even the super-giant Tentacruel, no matter how abundant its stamina, was now showing clear signs of fatigue. In contrast, several of Red's Pokémon revealed excited smiles at the appearance of this "live target."
"This guy is much easier than the ancient Dragonite!" Dragon-Scaled Charizard laughed, already treating the super-giant Tentacruel as if it were that ancient Dragonite.
"Yeah, yeah!" Pidgeot chimed in, the corners of its mouth twitching uncontrollably, amused by the miserable state of the super-giant Tentacruel.
"Tch! A massive body but no real strength? What a disappointing opponent!" Scyther scoffed, rubbing its scythes that were soaked in seawater.
"I'm enjoying this!" the crimson Gyarados roared excitedly, slamming its enormous tail once more to knock the super-giant Tentacruel back.
"I can only handle cleaning up the small fry!" the giant Onix complained, though it continued knocking down the recovering Tentacool with Rock attacks.
"All the seniors are so strong~ I want to evolve soon and become part of Master's battle strength too!" Feebas said longingly, eager to improve itself as quickly as possible.
Covered in wounds, the super-giant Tentacruel witnessed the miserable state of its subordinates, tears streaming from the corners of its eyes. It had only wanted to reclaim the habitat that rightfully belonged to its kind. Destroying part of the city had merely been a warning to humanity.
(What did we do wrong… Why are we treated so unfairly…)
The super-giant Tentacruel stopped resisting. As if accepting its fate, it closed its eyes and waited for the Pokémon's judgment.
The crimson Gyarados, about to attack again, withdrew its tail under Red's warning gaze. Red then leapt onto Pidgeot's back and faced the super-giant Tentacruel directly.
"Power of Viridian!" Red murmured. A green aura radiated from his body, healing the super-giant Tentacruel.
"Why?" the super-giant Tentacruel looked at Red in confusion. Shouldn't he be destroying it completely?
"Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed. I only wanted to make you stop at first. Who knew these brats would treat you like a sparring partner!" Red said helplessly. His Pokémon whistled innocently and looked away, pretending not to hear his scolding.
"I don't plan to catch you. Even if I did, it would be hard for you to appear in official matches. I don't want to restrict your freedom," Red explained.
In his eyes, capturing the super-giant Tentacruel would be nothing short of stifling it—completely suffocating its freedom. Could such a colossal being truly appear in competitions?
If it couldn't compete, it would rarely stay in Red's traveling team. Capturing it would essentially mean leaving it at Professor Oak's Laboratory, burdening Professor Oak and contradicting Red's own vision of being a Trainer.
Could a Trainer who stifles a Pokémon's freedom truly become a Pokémon Master?
Red constantly reminded himself: if he could not give a Pokémon the chance to battle and travel alongside him, he would not capture it, no matter how talented it was.
"Once you and your people destroy the buildings occupying your habitat, leave quickly," Red advised. The injured Tentacool gradually recovered under the effect of Red's Power of Viridian.
Red's Power of Viridian was a blessing from the deepest core of Viridian Forest. Its purity granted it healing effects twice as strong as ordinary Power of Viridian.
"No! I won't allow you to destroy my seaside resort!"
A pot-bellied, overweight man in a suit interrupted Red's thoughts, righteously ordering him to defeat the super-giant Tentacruel.
"And you are?" Red frowned.
"I'm the mayor of Hutber Port! That seaside resort is my treasure for making money. I absolutely won't let you destroy it!" the mayor shouted, even summoning his private army to intimidate Red.
"What a vile man. Someone like him can be a mayor?!" Ash clenched his fists angrily, nervously watching Red.
"Are you threatening me?" Red said coldly.
The mayor's private troops suddenly floated into the air and were blown hundreds of meters away by a single Hurricane from Pidgeot.
"Are you trying to defy the League's orders?!" the mayor cried in terror, invoking the name of the Pokémon League to force Red to back down.
Just as Red was considering teaching the mayor a lesson, a swift Dragonite descended, carrying a red-haired man in a cape.
"Long time no see, Red!"
The newcomer was none other than the Dragon-type (Flying-type) Elite Four member, Lance.
"Looks like the Tentacruel incident alarmed the League. They even sent an Elite Four Trainer like you to clean up," Red said calmly, showing no awe—only the casual greeting of equals. After all, his own strength was far from ordinary.
"You're still as cold as ever," Lance said helplessly. He then glared darkly at the mayor. "You've violated the Pokémon League's directive. You recklessly destroyed the natural environment, forcing so many Tentacool to become homeless and retaliate against humans!"
Seeing the senior Pokémon Inspector, Lance, the mayor immediately knelt in remorse, pointing toward the recently awakened Brutella in the distance.
"She seduced me into it! She said it would make Hutber Port prosper!"
Brutella, having just regained consciousness, was stunned. She had merely acted on someone else's orders—how had she suddenly become the scapegoat?
Lance had no time to listen. Taking out his senior inspector identification, he declared,
"What awaits you now is the Pokémon League's judgment!"
"Lance, can I let Tentacruel destroy that seaside structure now?" Red asked.
Lance sighed, nodding to signal that the super-giant Tentacruel could proceed with its revenge.
The super-giant Tentacruel glanced at Red. Only after seeing him nod did it unleash its destruction freely. To it, Red was the only human worthy of trust. This left Lance, who had rushed over hoping to play the hero, feeling slightly disappointed.
"Didn't expect someone like you would have to rush here to clean up," Red teased.
"It's not that simple. This is one of the rare incidents in League history where a wild Pokémon group attacked a human settlement. If we don't handle it properly, evil organizations could exploit it, bribe newspaper publishers, and drag the League's reputation into the gutter," Lance explained.
"If the League wants to protect its reputation, it should work harder to eliminate scum like this," Red said lightly, glancing at the mayor pinned down by Officer Jenny.
"It's not that simple. Even within the Pokémon League, Team Rocket has infiltrators. For now, all we can do is find the true identity of Team Rocket's leader as soon as possible," Lance said helplessly. Even the most righteous organizations have a few bad apples spoiling the whole pot.
(Giovanni's true identity…)
Red fell silent, debating whether to tell Lance that Team Rocket's boss was the Gym Leader Giovanni of Viridian City.
"I know this must disappoint you. The League that Trainers admire so much also has…" Lance began, thinking Red was disheartened.
(Forget it. Let nature take its course. Revealing Giovanni now would only cause unnecessary trouble…)
In the end, Red chose not to reveal Giovanni's identity. With the League's power, they would uncover the truth eventually. Red didn't want to endanger his family by speaking rashly and provoking retaliation from Team Rocket.
Finally, the super-giant Tentacruel led the Tentacool to destroy the seaside structure and reclaim their habitat before gradually sinking back into the sea. It gave Red one last deep look, and Red waved farewell in return.
This scene was captured by reporters and later featured prominently in the Kanto Pokémon League Weekly. The event was given a special detailed report and remained the headline for several weeks, stirring considerable commotion throughout the Kanto Region.
"Your Pokémon have grown even stronger!" Lance exclaimed, astonished by Charizard's transformation. As a Dragon-type Trainer, Lance clearly sensed the pure dragon aura radiating from it—an aura rivaling even some of his family's Dragonite.
"Just luck," Red replied calmly. In truth, it was thanks to the ancient Dragonite's blessing, but Red chose not to reveal that and casually brushed it off.
With the super-giant Tentacruel incident perfectly resolved, Red accompanied Ash and the others aboard an evening ferry toward their next destination. Misty happily succeeded in capturing a Horsea.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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