After the small interlude of Stunk now becoming Buck's new Pokémon, the group continued along the banks of the Fair River, heading toward the place where Stunky had fallen into the water earlier.
As they traveled, Petilil rode on the back of Luxio, bounding swiftly at the front while continuously sensing for signs of life hidden within the river's waters.
If the Pokémon lurking in the river really was Tentacool, then spotting it with the naked eye would be almost impossible. When hidden within water, Tentacool's translucent blue body practically served as camouflage, allowing it to blend seamlessly with its surroundings.
However, because the river water contained traces of poison, there were almost no signs of life within it at this moment. In a way, this greatly reduced the difficulty of their search.
Seeing with his own eyes the occasional faint violet shimmer drifting within the river current, Aven couldn't help but sigh. The stretches of riverbanks here were not only home to large numbers of Poison-type Pokémon, but even the soil itself had long since been polluted.
Thus, simply relocating the Poison-types living here was far from enough. Considerable additional effort would have to be invested into cleansing the toxins from the soil.
With this in mind, Aven had already formed a plan: he would plant Poison-type Berries along the riverbanks. The toxin-rich soil would serve as excellent nourishment for their growth.
In addition, he could also release large groups of Oddish near the river. Not only would they act as natural guardians of the waterway, but thanks to their own affinity with poison, when they rooted themselves into the contaminated soil, they could gradually absorb and neutralize the toxins within.
"Lord Aven, we're almost there," Jean suddenly reminded him at this moment.
"Lil! Lil!" "Meowr~"
At the same time, the scout duo also cried out loudly.
By sensing the faint threads of life energy and detecting bioelectric waves, they had nearly simultaneously discovered the presence of a Pokémon hidden within the water.
"Hm? It hasn't left yet?" Aven was somewhat surprised to hear this.
Under the protection of his Pokémon, he quickly made his way to the riverbank. His gaze swept carefully across the water's surface again and again, but he failed to spot anything unusual.
Only with Petilil's guidance did Aven notice something out of place: around the roots of a tree that had grown deep into the river, the current showed subtle, irregular disturbances. If one looked carefully, there was indeed something faintly drifting along with the flow.
"Luxio, use Thunder Shock immediately!" Upon seeing this, Aven decisively gave his command.
"Meowr!"
Luxio nodded, sparks of electricity flashing across its body before a burst of current shot forward!
The moment the electricity entered the water, the entire surface of the river was suddenly enveloped and wrapped in a shimmering field of crackling lightning.
And in that instant, the hidden Pokémon finally revealed itself. A translucent blue form surfaced—the Tentacool. The two large red gemstones on either side of its head and the smaller one set in the center of its forehead gleamed strikingly under the light.
"It appeared! Is this the same Pokémon that attacked Stunky earlier?" The sudden sight of Tentacool left everyone present startled.
Meanwhile, beneath the water's surface, Tentacool lifted its head. The red gem upon its forehead abruptly flared with dazzling light, unleashing a crimson beam that shot straight toward them!
"As expected—it really is Tentacool!"
"Luxio, don't stop! Counterattack with Thunderbolt!"
Bzzzt!Crackle!Zzzap!
With the sound of electricity crackling through the air, Luxio released a much stronger surge of lightning. A thick current arced forward, directly colliding with and intercepting the incoming red beam.
"Petilil, now it's your turn—use Absorb!"
Petilil nodded, its expression lighting up with excitement. It seemed extremely curious about this strange sludge-producing Pokémon.
"Meowr!"
Seeing this, Luxio stepped back to make way.
It could sense that this Tentacool's battle strength was weak. Frankly speaking, it wasn't even worthy of Luxio's serious effort.
"Lil, lil!"
Petilil's body shone with a soft green glow, and in the next moment, a bright beam of verdant energy shot forward.
Seeing the attack, Tentacool once again activated its red gemstones, firing another crimson beam. The two beams collided in midair!
In the blink of an eye, the green energy overwhelmed the red, dispersing it completely before striking Tentacool's body.
(TN: Not sure what this red beam attack is, the site is wonky on this chapter so I cant find the raw for it.)
Tentacool was hit squarely, its body thrashing violently in the river, stirring the waters into chaotic waves.
Moments later, the emerald light condensed around its body suddenly contracted, transforming into a glowing green orb of energy. The orb floated toward Petilil before sinking into its small body.
But immediately after, Petilil's face twisted in sudden pain. Waves of grayish-black energy flickered briefly over its form before dissipating quickly.
When the discomfort passed, Petilil's expression returned to normal, but its eyes were filled with confusion as it looked at the distant Tentacool.
The Absorb move should have drained its opponent's stamina and restored Petilil's own vitality. But instead, not only had it failed to siphon energy, it had actually hurt Petilil in the process!
"What's going on? Is this Pokémon really that strong?"
The surrounding patrol members were equally shocked by the sight of Petilil suffering.
They all knew full well how powerful Lord Aven's Petilil was—especially Jean, who had personally witnessed it stand alone against the entire knight order of Marina City.
And yet now, before their eyes, a small, seemingly insignificant Tentacool had actually managed to wound Petilil. The revelation was so startling that Jean found himself doubting what he had just seen.
"It's the Liquid Ooze ability," Aven said with dawning realization. "When a draining move like Absorb is used, the energy taken is transformed into harmful, destructive energy instead!"
"Lil!"
Petilil gritted its teeth and launched Absorb once again.
As expected, the backlash returned, forcing a pained grunt from it.
But at the same time, the emerald glow shimmering on its body pulsed and began steadily restoring its vitality. In mere moments, it had recovered back to normal.
By contrast, Tentacool, having endured two consecutive Absorbs, was already showing signs of fatigue. Yet even so, it still clung to its fighting spirit.
After all, Tentacool was naturally resilient against Special Attacks, and its body was resistant to Grass-type moves. It wasn't surprising it had lasted this long.
But for Tentacool, this was hardly fortunate. In fact, it was tragic. With Petilil staring it down so intently, escape was impossible. All it could do was suffer helplessly.
Petilil's eyes narrowed thoughtfully before it cast Absorb for a third time.
This time, however, it didn't immediately drain Tentacool's energy. Instead, it carefully condensed the green light, slowly drawing out something else—an inky-black clump of sludge.
Encased within the emerald glow, the lump of sludge floated toward Petilil and hovered in front of it.
That strange energy… it was unmistakable. Petilil immediately recognized it. This was the very same sludge Aven had extracted from Buck's body earlier!
This sludge possessed an incredible property—it could absorb life energy and convert it into a destructive force.
Splash!
The water churned violently as Tentacool, enraged beyond control, retaliated.
Its mouth glowed with violet light before it spat a jet of corrosive Acid straight at Petilil!
"Lil!"
Petilil raised its head sharply.
In its hand, green light flashed, and an Energy Ball took shape before being hurled forward!
The orb's oppressive force slammed into the purple stream. In Tentacool's horrified gaze, the green sphere easily crushed the Acid and continued barreling toward it!
Boom!
The orb struck the river, exploding in a blast that sent water spraying high into the air.
Tentacool's body was blown clear out of the water, only to come crashing heavily back into it moments later.
The terrifying sight left all the patrol members swallowing hard. Their eyes, when they turned to Petilil, brimmed with awe and reverence.
Aven rubbed his brow lightly, then glanced at Petilil, who was now studying the lump of sludge with intense focus. "Ralts, bring Tentacool over here."
Ralts nodded, its psychic power wrapping around Tentacool and carefully levitating it to the riverbank.
But as soon as the jellyfish Pokémon was out of the water, its body began shrinking rapidly, collapsing in on itself as though completely drained.
"At least we've managed to capture it," Aven said as he walked up to its side.
Then, with a gesture, he had Ralts gather some river water and pour it beside Tentacool.
The instant its body touched the water, Tentacool swelled back up, regaining its original shape and floating quietly.
"Petilil, try healing Tentacool."
Petilil nodded, its body glowing a gentle green as the energy seeped into Tentacool.
Soon, Tentacool's injuries faded, and its eyes fluttered open. Dazed and bewildered, it looked around at its surroundings.
"Lil!"
Seeing its healing work, Petilil's gaze flickered.
So, the sludge's interference only blocked healing directed at others—it didn't hinder Tentacool itself at all.
The sludge was a substance Tentacool could generate on its own, a manifestation of both its special ability and a unique kind of energy it wielded. It could freely control this power.
Watching intently, Petilil's eyes gleamed. Deep down, it sensed that this might represent a completely new method of utilizing life energy!
If Tentacool could convert life force into poison energy through this ability, then perhaps… it too could one day learn to master such a transformation.
If successful, it wouldn't only use life energy for healing—it could also wield it directly as a weapon!
The more Petilil considered it, the more eager it became. Its burning gaze locked onto the confused Tentacool floating awkwardly in the air.
If it could speak, its expression practically declared: "From now on, you'll obediently become my research subject. I'll unravel all your secrets one by one!"
Splash!
Suddenly, Tentacool shivered all over, struck with a chilling sense of dread. Its entire body trembled involuntarily.
It quickly realized its situation was dire. Hovering above the river with no water to retreat into, unease gnawed at it.
"Tentacool, don't worry. I won't harm you," Aven said gently, stepping closer to reassure it.
"As long as you behave for now and let me finish my research, I promise I'll release you back into the ocean."
Aven's curiosity toward Tentacool was undeniable. He fully intended to bring it back for careful study.
Moreover, he needed to investigate where exactly this Tentacool had come from. Why had it appeared in the Fair River? And since Tentacool were known to live in swarms, did this one have companions nearby?
If a whole colony of Tentacool really had entered the river system from the ocean, then with their natural camouflage, they would pose a serious threat to all waterways across the territory.
(End of Chapter)