The salty sea breeze hit him in the face, and Ash stood on the wooden pier of the resort town's dock, annoyed as he scratched his hat.
"We still didn't make it!" He watched the communication ship, which had already become a small black dot in the distance, his fists unconsciously clenching.
Pikachu lay on his shoulder, its tail drooping weakly: "Pika..."
"Don't be discouraged, Ash," Brock patted his shoulder, "The next ship will be here tomorrow morning..."
Before he could finish, a deafening explosion came from the sea.
Everyone turned in astonishment, only to see the distant ship suddenly tilt, thick smoke pouring out of the cabin, and the hull beginning to sink at a visible speed.
"What's going on?!" Xiao You exclaimed, her Sobble already reflexively jumping into the sea.
Ash immediately threw out a Poké Ball: "Pidgeotto!"
A white flash appeared, and a giant raptor, twice the size of a normal Pidgeotto, spread its wings, stirring up a whirlwind.
"Pikachu, let's go!"
Ash leaped onto Pidgeotto's back, and Pikachu held tightly to his shoulder.
Pidgeotto let out a long cry and shot towards the accident area like an arrow released from a bow.
Dozens of people were already floating on the sea, struggling desperately, the surrounding seawater a strange purple.
Ash noticed several people in uniform surrounded by a group of purple Tentacool.
"Pidgeotto, use Hurricane to disperse them!" Ash commanded.
Pidgeotto swooped down, its flapping wings creating a strong wind that temporarily blew the Tentacool away.
Pikachu took the opportunity to jump onto a floating wooden board, using its tail as a conductor to unleash Thunder Shock, stunning the Tentacool around the drowning people.
After half an hour of intense rescue, all the shipwrecked people were safely brought back to the dock.
Brock and Xiao You were busy bandaging the injured, while Ash squatted in front of a well-dressed middle-aged man.
"Thank you, young man," the man coughed, "I am Granny Jin's project manager..."
"Granny Jin?" Ash frowned, "The one who wants to build a resort hotel on the coral reef?"
The manager nodded, fear appearing on his face: "Those Tentacool... they've gone mad! They've been harassing us constantly since construction began, and today they even directly attacked the ship..."
"Because you destroyed their home."
The azure flute on Ash's chest warmed slightly; he could feel the anger and sadness coming from the ocean.
"Nonsense!" A sharp voice interrupted.
Everyone turned to see an old woman in a gorgeous kimono walking over, leaning on a golden nanmu cane, followed by a team of bodyguards.
"The coral reef is my territory, what are a few pretty jellyfish to me!"
Xiao You couldn't help but step forward: "But that's where they live!"
"What does a little girl know!" Granny Jin slammed her cane heavily on the ground, "I spent fifty million Alliance Coins to buy the development rights to that sea area!"
She squinted at the sea, "But since these jellyfish don't know what's good for them... Jessie! James!"
Two familiar figures walked out from behind her, none other than the Team Rockets duo.
Jessie proudly tossed her long hair: "The old lady offered us five million to deal with these jellyfish, so of course we..."
"Team Rockets!" Ash suddenly stood up, "What bad things are you trying to do again?"
"Bad children shouldn't interrupt~" James shook the bottle in his hand, "Our special three-cup vinegar, guaranteed to make these jellyfish... Meowth! Now!"
Meowth jumped out from nowhere, grabbed a bottle of three-cup vinegar, and threw it into the sea.
Ash tried to stop it, but it was too late; the bottle exploded on the surface of the sea, and the purple liquid spread rapidly.
"Are you crazy?!" Brock roared, "This will destroy the entire marine ecosystem!"
Granny Jin, however, laughed loudly: "Well done! I..."
Her laughter stopped abruptly.
The seawater suddenly churned violently, and a huge shadow rose from the depths.
Accompanied by a chilling squelching sound, a Tentacruel, thirty stories tall, burst out of the water.
Its entire body was purplish-red, dozens of tentacles writhed like giant pythons, and the red agate on its head shimmered with dangerous light.
"This... this is impossible..." Jessie's face was pale, "How could three-cup vinegar..."
The Tentacruel let out a deafening hum, and the entire dock trembled with the sound waves.
It swung its tentacles, easily overturning nearby cranes, their steel frames tossed into the air like toys.
"Pidgeotto!" Ash summoned his flying partner again, "We have to stop it!"
Pidgeotto carried Ash and Pikachu towards the Tentacruel.
As they got closer, the Tentacruel's oppressive presence was almost suffocating.
Ash could feel the azure flute vibrating violently; he took a deep breath and tried to communicate with the behemoth.
"Please stop!" Ash shouted, "We understand your anger, but attacking humans won't solve the problem!"
The Tentacruel's movements paused, and its huge compound eyes turned towards the tiny human.
To Ash's surprise, he heard a low voice directly in his mind:
"Understand? You humans destroy our homes with steel and poison, turning the coral reef into ruins! My people are homeless, and our young die in the polluted ocean!"
The Tentacruel's tentacles angrily slapped the water, stirring up ten-meter-high waves, "Today, I will make you taste the feeling of losing your home too!"
"Not all humans are like Granny Jin!" Ash said eagerly, "We can help you rebuild the coral reef..."
"Lies!" The Tentacruel roared, and a tentacle suddenly lashed out at Pidgeotto.
Pidgeotto dodged just in time but was still grazed on the wing, almost losing its balance.
"Pika!" Pikachu angrily raised its tail.
"It seems we can only fight..." Ash gritted his teeth and pulled out the azure flute from his Pregnant.
This artifact bestowed by Arceus spun in his palm, emitting a dazzling golden light.
"Pikachu, are you ready?"
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's palm, nodding firmly: "This time, we must make it listen to us!"
The azure flute's light enveloped Pikachu, and its body began to swell at an astonishing speed.
When the golden light dispersed, a Gigantamax Pikachu, dozens of meters tall, appeared on the sea.
It was enveloped in golden electricity, its tail like a towering pillar, and the electric sacs on its cheeks flashed with terrifying electric light.
"Gigantamax Volt Crash!" Ash shouted.
The Gigantamax Pikachu leaped into the air, and the entire sky instantly became covered in dark clouds.
Countless lightning bolts struck down from the clouds, converging on its raised tail, forming an electric orb with a diameter of over fifty meters.
As Pikachu slammed the orb into the sea, the entire sea area was engulfed in blinding white light.
When the light faded, the Tentacruel still stood firm, though with a few scorched marks on its body.
It let out an angry roar, and dozens of tentacles simultaneously sprayed purple venom, forming a giant net in the air that descended upon Pikachu.
"Dodge quickly!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu dodged sideways, but a few drops of venom still splashed onto it, causing it to twitch painfully.
"Pikachu, can you continue?" Ash asked worriedly.
"Of course!" Pikachu's voice echoed in his mind, "But Gigantamax time is only two turns left!"
The Tentacruel gave no quarter; it submerged underwater and then suddenly leaped out from directly below Pikachu, its massive body directly colliding with Pikachu.
The two giant beasts fought fiercely on the sea, each collision stirring up tsunami-like waves.
The people on the dock had to hold on tightly to fixed objects to avoid being swept away.
"Ash! We're here to help!" Xiao You shouted from a distance.
Her Bulbasaur had evolved into Ivysaur and was attacking the Tentacruel's tentacles with Razor Leaf.
Brock also released his Onix: "Use Rock Slide to restrict its movement!"
But ordinary Pokémon attacks had little effect on such a massive Tentacruel.
Ash knew he had to act quickly: "Pikachu, one last attack! Gigantamax Volt Crash!"
Pikachu gathered electricity again, this time concentrating all its power into a single point.
The electric orb struck the Tentacruel's head like a meteor, causing a deafening explosion.
A huge whirlpool was blasted out of the sea, and the Tentacruel finally let out a painful wail, its body swaying as it sank.
However, just as victory was within reach, the golden light on Pikachu's body suddenly dissipated.
It returned to its original size, exhausted, and landed on Pidgeotto's back.
"Gigantamax time is up..." Ash gritted his teeth, watching the Tentacruel resurface, still battle-ready despite its wounds.
"Ash, use this!" Brock threw a backpack.
Ash caught it and found all his Poké Balls inside.
"Everyone, let's go!" Ash threw out all his Poké Balls, "Wartortle, Ivysaur, Metang, Gardevoir, Lucario!"
Five flashes of white light appeared, and Ash's Pokémon appeared neatly at the edge of the dock.
Seeing this, the Tentacruel let out a contemptuous laugh: "More little bugs!"
"Don't underestimate us!" Lucario struck a battle pose, "Everyone, follow the plan!"
Wartortle was the first to rush into the sea, using Rapid Spin to create a whirlpool to restrict the Tentacruel's movements.
Ivysaur rooted itself on the shore, its Vine Whip coiling around several of the Tentacruel's tentacles like nimble snakes.
Metang hovered in the air, using Confusion to fix the Tentacruel's head.
Gardevoir, meanwhile, put up a protective shield to block the incoming venom attacks.
"Pikachu, one last effort!" Ash held up his exhausted partner.
Pikachu took a deep breath and jumped onto Lucario's shoulder.
Lucario leaped, using Ivysaur's Vine Whip as a springboard, and threw Pikachu high into the air.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu spun in the air, its entire body erupting with an unprecedentedly strong electric light.
This light even illuminated the sea area for several kilometers, like a small sun exploding on the surface of the sea.
The Tentacruel let out a final, agonizing scream, its massive body finally slumping weakly.
Ash didn't miss this opportunity; he pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it with all his might at the Tentacruel: "Go!"
The Poké Ball accurately hit the Tentacruel's agate core, capturing it.
The ball shook violently on the sea, almost bouncing open several times, before finally making a soft "ding" sound and becoming still.
On the surface of the sea, countless Tentacool emerged, looking at their captured leader and letting out mournful cries.
But soon, they seemed to understand something and began to retreat orderly into the deep sea.
Ash used the power of the Mind Plate within him to Teleport to the Poké Ball, retrieved it, and when he returned to shore, Jenny had already surrounded Granny Jin and Team Rockets with Alliance officers.
"Granny Jin, you are suspected of damaging the ecological preserve and illegally employing trainers to harm wild Pokémon.
Please come with us," Jenny said sternly.
Granny Jin still tried to argue: "I don't know anything! It was all Team Rockets..."
"Less talk, Meowth!" Meowth jumped up angrily, "You were the one who paid us..."
Their arguing voices gradually faded away.
Ash looked at the Poké Ball in his hand and gently pressed the button.
The Tentacruel reappeared, but it had returned to its normal size, weakly floating in the shallow water.
"Are you okay?" Ash knelt down and used the power of the azure flute to heal it.
The Tentacruel was silent for a long time, finally speaking: "Why... didn't you eliminate me?"
"Because it's not your fault," Ash said softly, "Humans destroyed your home, and your anger is justified.
But revenge only brings more harm."
He pointed to the destroyed dock in the distance, "Like this, both sides lose."
The Tentacruel watched the residents helping to clear the debris, some of whom were even children bandaging the wounds of injured Tentacool.
Its eyes gradually softened: "I... I never thought there would be humans like this."
Ash smiled: "Now you know.
The Alliance will rebuild the coral reef, and I promise this time your habitat will be preserved."
He once again took out the azure flute from his pocket.
Under the soft light emitted by the azure flute, the giant Tentacruel's injuries quickly healed.
It was surprised to find itself restored to its original size and had learned many new skills.
"This is..."
"Arceus's gift," Ash winked, "Consider it a token of our friendship?"
The Tentacruel finally showed its first smile: "Thank you, Ash.
I think... I still have a lot to learn."
As the sun set, the sea shimmered with golden light.
Ash and his Pokémon stood on the shore, looking at the peaceful sea.
Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing his cheek affectionately.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?"
"Nothing," Pikachu said with a smile, "I just think it's great to be traveling with you."
Ash rubbed his partner's ear and looked into the distance: "Yes, new adventures await us tomorrow!"