Unlike Ash and the others, Terrance needed to take a ship at the port heading toward Cerulean City, while Ash's group was headed for Maiden's Peak.
Because their ships were different, their departure times were also different.
Upon reaching the port, Ash and his friends despairingly discovered that they had missed the first ship and would have to wait another three hours.
The ship Terrance needed to take was leaving in just half an hour, so as soon as they arrived at the port, the four of them quickly parted ways.
Meeting Ash and his friends had only been a small interlude, but thinking back on it, Terrance suddenly felt that their style of traveling seemed rather interesting.
Although their pace of travel might be very slow, wasting quite a lot of time on the road, the journey was surely filled with plenty of laughter.
Terrance's path of growth was different from Ash's. He squeezed every bit of his time into studying, training, and improving himself. That was also the reason why, after just five years, he had already reached a level comparable to the Elite Four.
"Phew, time to go."
When it was finally time to board the ship, Terrance picked up his luggage and went straight aboard.
The distance from Acapulco Port to Cerulean City wasn't too far, it could be reached in just a few hours. However, it seems fate does not want Terrance to have a smooth trip. Shortly after the ship entered the sea area, an anomaly suddenly occurred.
Resting against the railing, Terrance suddenly felt the ship lurch violently. In the next instant, he could barely even keep his balance.
"A shipwreck?"
Seeing the sudden change, Terrance frowned and looked toward the sea, and what he saw left him utterly stunned.
One, two, ten… dozens, hundreds, thousands, an uncountable number of Tentacool covered the entire surface of the ocean. Even Terrance was shocked at the sight.
Incidents of Pokémon rioting on such a massive scale should be extremely rare, but right now, the situation spelled imminent catastrophe for the city.
Even with the city's security system and Trainers stationed in the city, there's no way they could face thousands of Tentacool.
Though not as destructive as Gyarados, the sheer number of Tentacool could stir up a terrifying tidal wave powerful enough to engulf the port.
"Boom!"
Just as Terrance frowned, the ship was struck by the Tentacool's assault, and it looked as if it would sink at any moment.
And it wasn't just this vessel, ships in every sea area near the port were being attacked by Tentacool.
"As I thought, this isn't some random event… these Tentacool came prepared."
"Hurry, rescue the passengers! Get the life rings! Release Water-type Pokémon!" On Terrance's ship, the sailors quickly organized an evacuation and self-rescue operation in the face of the calamity. All around them, chaos consumed the sea.
Just as Terrance was racking his brain for a solution, another sudden change occurred. In the waters near the port, a colossal shadow emerged in an instant: it was a Tentacruel. But its size was so massive that even Terrance was shaken. At last, he remembered this storyline.
Giant Dragonite… Giant Tentacruel… Giant… Terrance rubbed his head. Yes, this was one of the few storylines he could still recall.
This Tentacruel's body was at least several dozen meters long, towering even higher than the tallest buildings at the port. As it slapped its tentacles, the sea itself went wild, and enormous waves surged up!
In just a single instant, the entire port was swallowed by water. Seeing this, Terrance's pupils shrank. What terrifying destructive power!
Countless skyscrapers were toppled in the blink of an eye!
"That's—!"
Just as Terrance was about to fulfill his duty as a Trainer, he suddenly noticed that the Giant Tentacruel had captured three figures.
Or rather, two people and one Pokémon: James, Jessie, and Meowth!
Seeing James wrapped up by Tentacruel's tentacle, Terrance immediately released Gallade. In the very next moment, Terrance appeared on top of the Tentacruel.
"Help, meow!!"
"Somebody save us!!"
The three members of Team Rocket screamed in panic.
"Grab onto me!" Terrance shouted at them. In the next instant, the trio reached out desperately, like drowning men clutching at straws, their hands touching Terrance and Gallade.
"Gallade, Teleport!" Terrance commanded.
Following an enraged roar from the Giant Tentacruel, Team Rocket was saved by Terrance, reappearing atop the ruins of a toppled skyscraper in the distance.
"This destructive power… it's already comparable to the waves created by Castform in Rainy Form when it borrows the power of the sea. Did this Giant Tentacruel just evolve?" Terrance's expression grew grave.
There was no doubt; this Giant Tentacruel's strength was terrifying. Even Terrance found it troublesome.
"Attack! Attack it!!"
"Whoever drives these jellyfish away, I'll pay them a million!! Where are the Trainers?!"
"Damn it! Die, don't destroy my restaurant!!"
The furious shouts carried through the air. After rescuing Team Rocket, Terrance saw people firing guns at the Giant Tentacruel. Witnessing this, his frown deepened. With Tentacruel's strength, ordinary firearms were already useless.
"Thank you for saving us, meow…"
"I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving us…" Jessie patted her chest, still trembling from fear.
Among the trio, only James stared at Terrance in shock, hesitating to confirm.
"James, it's been a long time. How's Growlie doing?" Terrance asked, referring to James's partner, Growlithe.
"It… it's doing fine." James froze, then blurted out, "You're Terrance?!"
"Yeah, don't recognize me? By the way, that outfit of yours is pretty interesting." Terrance teased lightly.
"This…" James faltered, unable to find the right words.
The transformation from being the son of a wealthy family at the top tier of the Kanto region, and the heir of a prominent family with properties and villas all over Hoenn and Sinnoh, to becoming a member of Team Rocket, made James unsure of how to face Terrance.
"We can catch up later. For now, the priority is to deal with these jellyfish." Terrance took a deep breath.
In the next moment, he spotted several familiar figures.
Ash and his friends had arrived. To stop the Giant Tentacruel from further destroying the city, a group of Trainers had stepped forward.
"Gallade, let's go!"
Patting Gallade on the shoulder, Terrance appeared near the Giant Tentacruel. At the same time, his Rotom Pokédex flew out from his backpack and headed toward Tentacruel.
"Ash, Misty, Brock, don't attack it just yet!" Terrance called out loudly, seeing the three already calling out their Pokémon.
"Terrance!" The trio was visibly startled to find him still at the port.
"Terrance, do you have a plan?" Brock shouted.
Terrance shook his head. Just then, an announcement blared from the port's loudspeakers: "Red Disaster Alert! Red Disaster Alert! All citizens, please proceed immediately to the shelters! All citizens, please proceed immediately to the shelters!"
"Calling upon all powerful Trainers to hold back the Tentacool swarm and buy time. Reinforcements are on their way."
After listening to the broadcast, Terrance spoke.
"Although I haven't figured out a solution yet, it seems like we have no choice but to take it head-on." Several skyscrapers in the port city had already collapsed, and if this continued, there might be casualties. Terrance drew a deep breath and prepared to negotiate with the Giant Tentacruel.
He had released the Rotom Pokédex for the purpose of communicating with the Giant Tentacruel. However, with the raging waves already flooding into the port, he had no choice but to first stop the advance of the Tentacool swarm.
Reaching to his belt, Terrance pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it forward—
"Castform, freeze the entire sea!!"
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