The Tentacruel's moves had firmly gained the advantage. The fifteen Pokémon belonging to the eight Trainers aboard the ferry were on the verge of collapsing. All the Trainers could do was continuously encourage their Pokémon, hoping they could hold out a little longer.
Seeing how badly the battle was going, the passengers were already panic-stricken. The captain could only keep trying to reassure them while repeatedly urging the Sunnytown police to hurry.
In less than ten minutes, the Tentacruel changed their strategy. Just eight of them were enough to hold back the moves of the Pokémon on the deck, while the remaining eight dived beneath the water.
The eight Trainers had just breathed a sigh of relief, believing their Pokémon's moves were finally gaining the advantage, when they suddenly realized that eight Tentacruel had disappeared!
"Eh, where did the other eight go?" One of them asked.
"Over here!" Someone suddenly shouted as a Tentacruel emerged from the water.
"This is bad…"
The other eight Tentacruel had already approached the ferry from beneath the water. They had reached the underside of the ship, wrapped their tentacles around the hull, and begun climbing.
By now, three of the fifteen Pokémon aboard had already collapsed from exhaustion, while the remaining Pokémon were barely hanging on. None of them had any strength left to deal with the Tentacruel climbing up the ship.
"What do we do…? What do we do!? Even these Trainers can't do anything. Are we really just going to wait here and die!?"
"N-No… I don't want to die. I haven't even…-!"
Seeing the situation unfold, the captain shouted loudly, "Everyone, don't panic! The Sunnytown police will be here soon. Stay calm and head into the cabins first. We'll definitely be rescued!"
The passengers could only place their trust in the captain's words. They all prepared to retreat into the cabins.
"Captain! Captain! This is bad!" One of the ship's radio operators came running over in a panic.
"Tche, what are you making such a fuss about? Isn't the situation chaotic enough already!?" The captain scolded.
"Waaah~! Captain, we just received an emergency report from the Sunnytown police. Their rescue speedboats were attacked by a school of Seaking on the way here. They're fighting with everything they have, but they won't be able to reach us anytime soon!" The radio operator said, tears welling up as he spoke.
"W-What…?" The captain's face instantly turned pale. Their only hope had been shattered.
The passengers descended into complete chaos!
"Waaah… I'll never get married now. I can't accept this…"
Many people began frantically complaining, cursing, and venting their despair as though they were facing their final moments.
"Captain, didn't you say we'd definitely be rescued? What do you have to say now!?" Several people immediately surrounded the captain.
"And you, ptooey! "Pokémon Trainers", you're all useless! You can't even deal with a few Tentacruel. You might as well be dead!" The same people who had been praising the Trainers as heroes only moments ago were now hurling insults at them.
The Trainers lowered their heads, unable to say a word.
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh. "Heh~ So this is human nature, huh?"
At that moment, two Tentacruel climbed onto the deck and unleashed a barrage of Poison Sting. The twelve Pokémon still confronting the Tentacruel below immediately collapsed. The defensive line on the deck crumbled in an instant, and the remaining eight Tentacruel rapidly closed in on the ferry.
"They're here! The Tentacruel are here!"
"No, no, no… I don't want to die! Arceus, please open your eyes!"
"Please save us, Arceus!"
'…'
"Golurk, go!"
At that moment, Tetsuya threw a Poké Ball. His commanding shout rang out like a morning bell at the Slowpoke Temple, announcing the arrival of the "benefactors", lifting everyone's spirits!
"There's still another Trainer! We still have hope!"
None of them knew how strong Tetsuya really was, but at this point, they would cling to even the slightest hope for survival.
A flash of white light passed by, and a giant appeared at the very front of the deck. In the eyes of those desperately hoping to survive, Golurk was now "Arceus".
"Thunder Punch!"
At Tetsuya's command, Golurk drew in its legs as rocket propulsion launched it into the sky. It arced through the air before diving straight downward, both fists already crackling with electricity.
One punch for each!
A loud "Boom!" echoed as Golurk's fists smashed directly into the two Tentacruel.
Already having tremendous strength, Golurk now added the force of its dive. The two Tentacruel were punched clean through, black smoke rising from their charred bodies.
A single strike was enough to kill them. This was Golurk's true strength!
The eight Trainers present could not help swallowing nervously.
"W-Was that really a Pokémon move just now…?"
"How could it possibly be that powerful!?"
The eight Trainers gathered together, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
Once the stunned crowd recovered from their shock, they finally felt that there was hope of surviving. They all looked toward Tetsuya with hopeful eyes.
"Skorupi, if any more Tentacruel climb aboard, I'll leave them to you."
Tetsuya said as he sent out Skorupi.
"Weezing, use your 'moves' against the eight Tentacruel that are still approaching."
As soon as the four-headed Weezing appeared, it released Poison Gas, followed immediately by a howling Icy Wind that blocked the eight Tentacruel advancing through the water. The black gas engulfed them, causing the Tentacruel to lose their sense of direction and swim aimlessly in circles within the Poison Gas.
Tetsuya also used his psychic powers to keep the Poison Gas from dispersing and thinning out.
The four-headed Weezing then followed up with Fire Blast and Flamethrower in rapid succession.
...Boooom! Booooom!
Two consecutive explosions erupted. Columns of river water shot seven or eight meters into the air, and the ferry rocked violently from the surging waves. Inside the control room, the crew struggled to maintain the ship's course before barely managing to stabilize it.
All eight Tentacruel were blown apart, their bodies torn to pieces beyond recognition!
Tetsuya casually recalled Weezing. There was no longer any need for it to act, as only six Tentacruel remained.
At this point, the crowd already felt certain of victory.
"We're about to win! We're about to win!"
"We're saved! Arceus' greatness, we're saved!"
Everyone clenched their fists, eagerly waiting for the moment when the last Tentacruel would be defeated.
Finally, one Tentacruel climbed onto the deck, only to be met head-on by a crimson Pokémon. Skorupi's Poison Jab tail pierced directly into the poison sac on Tentacruel's head, causing it to thrash about wildly.
"X-Scissor."
At Tetsuya's command, Skorupi swung its pincers again, striking the red organ on the opposite side of Tentacruel's head. Most of Tentacruel's body was composed of water. Its three red "orbs" were the source of its life.
Skorupi's toxin had already spread throughout Tentacruel's entire body, and the overwhelming toxicity was more than it could endure. At last, it collapsed.
"Consume its pois-"
Before Tetsuya could finish speaking, Skorupi had already burrowed into Tentacruel's poison sac and begun absorbing the toxins. Since Tentacruel was already part of Skorupi's inherited lineage, it was able to absorb Tentacruel's toxins with ease.
Before Skorupi had finished absorbing it, three more Tentacruel climbed onto the deck…