"Move aside! Move aside!"
"Don't get in the way of our big mission!"
A yacht sped across the sea as Team Rocket drove Ash and the others away.
At the same time, Granny Jin had also recruited a large group of helpers.
"Why aren't you people starting yet?" she urged impatiently. The teams she had previously sent to drive away the Tentacool had all failed, delaying construction for quite some time.
Now that she finally had enough manpower, she had to get rid of those Tentacool.
"We'll get started right away," Team Rocket replied readily.
Horsea, which Misty was holding in her arms, suddenly sprayed a cloud of ink toward Team Rocket. Then it sprayed another stream of ink onto the sea's surface, forming the shape of a Tentacool.
"What are you brats trying to do?!" ×3
Team Rocket glared at Misty suspiciously. Were these kids trying to stop them from completing the bounty so they could take the one million PokéDollar reward and the one-year free stay for themselves?
"Is that… Tentacool?"
Misty recognized the drawing immediately. Her beautiful eyes shifted toward the structure being built at sea, and a hint of worry crossed her face.
"Wait a moment."
Ash stopped Team Rocket and pointed at the ink drawing.
"Granny Jin, your Paradise Resort is occupying the coral reef habitat where the Tentacool live. That's why they're interfering with your construction—they're trying to drive you out of their home."
"Where did this brat come from, talking nonsense?" Granny Jin frowned and waved her hand, signaling Team Rocket to continue.
"If you keep destroying the Tentacool's home, aren't you worried they might retaliate by destroying ours?" Ash said. "Try looking at it from another perspective."
Ash still chose persuasion.
If he could stir sympathy among the surrounding crowd, it might be the best solution.
"Huh… when you put it that way, as a Pokémon myself, I do feel a little sorry for the Tentacool, meow," Meowth said after thinking about it seriously.
But the moment he remembered the one million PokéDollars, that sympathy vanished instantly.
"Don't you see how many people I brought?" Granny Jin sneered, completely ignoring Ash's warning.
"Then your hotel will probably be destroyed," Ash replied calmly.
Ash had actually considered hiring Team Rocket to blow up the hotel. After all, aside from failing to catch Pikachu, Team Rocket could accomplish just about anything.
But that would only treat the symptom, not the root cause.
If Granny Jin disappeared, there might be a Granny Silver or Granny Bronze in the future.
Unless the underlying issue was solved, the Tentacool would face the same problem again.
Granny Jin needed to understand the power of Tentacool and Tentacruel.
Perhaps the rivalry within her own family could also help resolve the situation.
While everyone was arguing, Team Rocket seized the opportunity to head out.
Halfway there, however, they were surrounded by a swarm of Tentacool. Their yacht was destroyed, and a large barrel of their chemical mixture spilled all over the Tentacool.
Most of the Tentacool that came into contact with the chemicals became weak.
But one of them mutated and evolved.
Its body expanded rapidly, becoming even larger than the Paradise Resort under construction.
With its massive tentacles, the giant Tentacruel grabbed Team Rocket and flipped the Paradise Resort upside down, reclaiming its home.
Looking at its damaged habitat, the Tentacruel remembered the help it had received from a kind human the day before. Using Meowth as a translator, it vented its anger.
"We are Tentacool and Tentacruel."
"You humans destroyed our home."
"So we will destroy your home in retaliation."
The people on the shore heard the giant Tentacruel's warning.
Soon they saw an enormous swarm of Tentacool approaching and began to panic, afraid they would be caught in the destruction.
Amid the chaos, Ash quietly slipped an envelope into Granny Jin's hands.
At first she casually tried to throw it away, but when she noticed the sender—her cousin from Blue Lagoon City—her wrinkled face turned dark with anger.
That cousin had already stolen her business, and now she dared to send a letter mocking her?
Moments later, Granny Jin's eyes turned fierce.
She suddenly realized something.
Her cousin had known all along that this area was a Tentacool habitat. That was why she opened her resort in the tourist district while deliberately guiding Granny Jin to build here.
Once the conflict with the Tentacool escalated, her cousin could accuse her of destroying Pokémon habitats—and then take over her amusement park.
"No wonder this so-called Team Rocket was so eager to take the job!" Granny Jin muttered angrily.
"They could chase away the Tentacool, take my one million PokéDollars, and complete my cousin's mission at the same time."
"They'd profit twice!"
Her cousin and Team Rocket would both get what they wanted.
And she would be the one facing punishment from the authorities.
"What a vicious scheme…"
Granny Jin slapped her forehead in regret.
Looking at it now, this project carried far more risk than profit.
Why hadn't she realized that earlier?
Money had blinded her.
"No… I have to cut my losses now," she muttered.
At the very least, she had to save her amusement park.
"Kid! Help persuade that Tentacruel!"
Turning to Ash, Granny Jin pleaded, seeing that Ash and his friends seemed to be communicating with the Tentacruel.
"I didn't mean to destroy their home."
"Earlier I told you to stop. Why didn't you listen?" Ash glanced at the anxious old woman.
Clearly the giant Tentacruel and that letter had finally frightened her.
"I… I didn't know I was destroying their home," Granny Jin stammered, her eyes darting around.
"Tentacool are such cute Pokémon. They would never attack people without a reason," Misty said firmly.
In her eyes, Water-type Pokémon could do no wrong.
"Y-Yes, it was my fault," Granny Jin quickly admitted. "Please help persuade them. I promise I won't do something like this again."
"I'll even let you enjoy my amusement park for free for a whole year!"
Ash looked at her silently for a moment before finally walking over to the giant Tentacruel.
"Tentacruel," Ash said, "you should return to your home."
Pikachu also joined in, trying to calm it.
Tentacruel stared at Ash.
The boy felt strangely familiar—the same human who had tried to help them before.
"You're lucky this time," Tentacruel said.
"Next time, it won't end so easily. Don't you dare destroy our home again."
With that, Tentacruel tossed Team Rocket away.
It then gave Ash a grateful look before leading the Tentacool to dismantle the remaining structures in their habitat.
Although the damage wasn't as severe as in the original events that devastated Blue Lagoon City, the incident still left a deep impression on the residents.
The authorities would likely start taking the issue of human–Pokémon coexistence more seriously.
Ash let out a small sigh of relief.
Thanks to the conflict within Granny Jin's family—and a bit of careful planning—the situation had been resolved without massive destruction.
Otherwise, if Granny Jin had stubbornly refused to back down like in the original events, she might even have used weapons to fight back.
And that would have dragged Blue Lagoon City into disaster.
If not for Misty and the Pokémon risking everything to persuade the giant Tentacruel back then, the city might have been completely destroyed.
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