Sabotaging the plan

"Why do the protagonists on TV always stumble across the villains' schemes at just the right moment, but we never do?" Jiang Cheng asked dejectedly. They were every bit as helpless as they had been when trying to enter the Secret Realm.

"Because you're not the protagonist," Shen Yue replied irritably. "Unless you know where they are, or how they're planning to catch the Giant Tentacruel?"

Jiang Cheng let out a long sigh that laid bare his helplessness.

"We can't just stay here forever. Let's follow the coastline and see if we can find anything," Xiao Ran said, suddenly rising to his feet.

"Have you thought of something?" Jiang Cheng asked with a hint of excitement when he saw Xiao Ran move.

"Just a few guesses. But whatever happens, we at least need to find the Hall first. How are we supposed to stop them when we don't even know where they are?" Xiao Ran said, shaking his head.

"True. We've had enough rest anyway. Time to go." Shen Yue stood up as well, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and picked up her backpack. Together, they headed out of the hollow tree.

The dense forest was vast. Once outside the hollow tree, they had no idea which way to go, so they could only follow the boundary between the beach and the woods. This route gave them a view of the sea while the trees kept them hidden, though it also slowed their progress.

"Is that... Exeggcute? Oh my god, you can only find these Pokémon in coastal cities!" After stepping through a patch of undergrowth, Jiang Cheng immediately spotted a cluster of eggs. Excited, he wanted to move closer and get a good look at these Pokémon that never appeared inland.

"Hold on. I think we'd better leave them to rest!" Xiao Ran grabbed him and pointed overhead, his voice low.

Jiang Cheng looked up and saw several coconuts with faces staring at them in confusion. Suddenly remembering the connection between Exeggcute and Exeggutor, he backed away with an awkward smile.

"Sorry for disturbing you! Sorry!"

Exeggcute and Exeggutor were the most abundant creatures in the coastal forest, followed by all kinds of Bug-type Pokémon. They made Shen Yue's skin crawl. She remained pale throughout the journey, repeatedly drawing in sharp breaths. Xiao Ran, on the other hand, found it all fascinating. There were so many Bug-type Pokémon here that Nancheng lacked, and even he had never seen many of them at the research institute.

"Look, a Sewaddle! They're very gentle Pokémon. It really does look adorable," Xiao Ran said, looking at a little bug wrapped in green leaves on a tree trunk.

Sewaddle was a Pokémon that the China Alliance had yet to officially include in its Pokédex. It resembled a caterpillar, with its entire body wrapped in clothing made from leaves, and possessed the rare combination of two opposing types: Bug and Grass.

"Come on, let's go! What's so adorable about it?" Shen Yue snapped, pulling Jiang Cheng away.

Xiao Ran chuckled. After taking another couple of looks, he turned to leave, only to have another Pokémon catch his attention moments later.

There were simply too many Pokémon here that they had never seen before. Few species lived around Nancheng. Apart from common Pokémon such as Raticate, Pidgeotto, and Caterpie, Nancheng did not even have a single species unique to the area. For such a large city, that was downright embarrassing...

Boom! After half an hour of walking, the four of them had found nothing and were already preparing to give up on disrupting the Hall's plan. Just then, an enormous crash rang out somewhere beyond their sight. The entire island seemed to shake, followed by the roar of surging waves.

"They've started!" Ye Ling said, pricking up her ears before dashing off in one direction.

"Lingling! Slow down!" Startled, Xiao Ran immediately followed her. Although the tremendous noise had sent the nearby Pokémon into a panic, who could guarantee they would avoid an accident while rushing through such dense woods?

"You two, slow down!" Jiang Cheng and Shen Yue had no choice but to hurry after them.

Boom! Another roar of crashing water rang out. From then on, the sound never stopped. At times, it was even interspersed with inaudible Infrasound that made their skin crawl—the Giant Tentacruel's Supersonic.

Fortunately, the battle had frightened the island's Pokémon into staying put. They could only huddle in their nests, trembling and hoping the powerful Pokémon would not turn its fury on them. This allowed Xiao Ran and the others to race toward the scene unharmed.

Suddenly, Ye Ling stopped, bent low, and began advancing slowly. They had clearly reached the vicinity of the battle, where they could be discovered at any moment.

Unlike the forest they had run through, this area looked as though it had been flooded. Seawater still streamed down every tree, and the ground was a muddy mess. If not for the thick grass and plentiful fallen leaves, they would already have been covered in mud.

Boom! Water roared. They had barely taken two steps before another crash rang out, followed by a deluge of seawater that drenched all four newcomers to the bone.

"What the hell—" Jiang Cheng wiped seawater from his face, a curse slipping out before Xiao Ran turned and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"We're right in the middle of the Hall's operation. Are you trying to get yourself killed, shouting like that?" Xiao Ran snapped. The other two immediately covered their mouths.

Ye Ling had already begun edging forward. Ignoring her soaked clothes and the seawater all around, she carefully parted the undergrowth ahead, bringing the battle outside into view.

The first thing that caught their attention was the enormous jellyfish floating on the sea. Although only half its body was exposed, it already stood thirty or forty stories tall. Two red agates on its head shone brilliantly, while countless tentacles rose from the water and lashed furiously at the Hall operatives surrounding it.

Countless Iron Chains were fastened securely around the Giant Tentacruel's body. Several immensely strong Pokémon pulled on them, restricting its movements and preventing its escape. Among them were even two enormous Wailord, Pokémon rarely seen even in the deep sea.

On land, several gigantic Onix and Golem kept hauling on the chains, trying to drag the Water-type Pokémon ashore. Unfortunately, their Rock and Ground typing left them terribly vulnerable to Water-type attacks. Every towering wave that crashed down inflicted tremendous damage, and the Pokémon pulling the chains swayed unsteadily.

Apart from those hauling the chains, countless Electric- and Grass-type Pokémon were attacking from the sky and the shore: Magneton, Vileplume, Victreebel... Yet their attacks did little more than further enrage the Giant Tentacruel, causing no noticeable damage.

Jiang Cheng edged closer and gasped at the sight. "Isn't that a little too big? How tall would it be if it stood all the way up?"

"Yeah, and it looks terrifying! It feels even stronger than my dad's Charizard!" Disbelief filled Shen Yue's face.

The stronger a Pokémon was, the greater the mental pressure it exerted—the weak's instinctive fear of the strong. Yet even in her father's presence, Shen Yue had never felt anything as intense as the pressure from this Giant Tentacruel. She was so tense she could barely breathe.

"Don't be afraid. It's just a Pokémon. You'll be just as strong someday." Seeing their reactions, Xiao Ran quietly activated the Power of the Moon within him, soothing their strained nerves. Mystery, healing, reassurance... these were the Power of the Moon's greatest effects.

"You're right. We'll be just as strong someday, won't we, Magnemite?" Jiang Cheng recovered and smiled at the Magnemite beside him.

His only answer was the crackle of electricity.

"We have to let it return to the sea!" Ye Ling said, looking at the battered Onix and Golem on the battlefield.

The Hall's plan was to trap the Giant Tentacruel in shallow water, or even drag it onto the beach, then wear down its vitality with relentless attacks. What they had failed to anticipate was just how vulnerable Onix and Golem were to Water-type attacks. This had created a weakness in the chains anchored on land, and the Giant Tentacruel had begun slowly retreating toward deeper water despite the pull.

"It's no use. The Hall came prepared. They've brought out a fresh group of Pokémon," Xiao Ran said gravely, pointing off to one side.

There stood a huge reef well away from the battlefield, with several black-robed people atop it. They were clearly the commanders of this operation. One had just handed several Poké Balls to a subordinate, and moments later, a fresh group of Pokémon was summoned to replace the exhausted Onix and Golem.

"No chance. If this keeps up, it's only a matter of time before they catch the Giant Tentacruel," Xiao Ran said helplessly, shaking his head.

The newly summoned Pokémon were also immensely strong, but unlike Onix and Golem, they were not Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon. Instead, there were Grass-type Torterra, Bug-type Heracross, Fighting-type Machamp... Although these Pokémon were less common than Onix and Golem, they were no weaker in strength. Most importantly... they were not afraid of water.

"I'll burn through those Iron Chains!" Shen Yue said firmly. She rose, ready to charge out with Charmander, but Xiao Ran grabbed her.

"What's the rush? If the Giant Tentacruel can't even break those Iron Chains, do you really think you can burn through them?" Xiao Ran asked irritably.

"We don't necessarily have to free the Giant Tentacruel to disrupt the Hall's capture plan. We just have to destroy that." Xiao Ran looked relaxed as he pointed at the enormous sphere sitting beside the black-robed people on the reef.