#72 - #73: Tentacool & Tentacruel

A Tentacool swimming in the sea, with a Tentacruel in its wake.

Tentacool. The Zubat of the Seas. This little pest is the bane of my existence.

I think I need to explain myself.

Yes, I did say I don't mind Zubat. I also did say to just slap a Repel on and get the area done as quickly as possible if Zubat annoys you so much. But the thing is that I actually like caves to some extent, whereas I absolutely HATE water routes. Caves get you from one room to another, giving you the feeling you're actually making progress, but the vast sea somehow gets me pissed off every fucking time I have to cross it. I constantly get lost because the sea always looks the same no matter where I'm at, while in a cave there are some places you can recognize by cliffs, the position of rocks, and even small ponds and lagoons. I'll gladly take the huge amount of wild Zubat if it means I can explore a cave without getting frustrated.

Back to water routes: Hoenn has the worst ones. No kidding there... out of all regions, this region also has the most water routes; the Hoenn sea is so vast! Johto is a close second, though; not because I think its only sea is so overly big, but because the two (connecting) water routes require you to maneuver between the Whirl Islands, of which there are four. Indeed, there are four different entrances to a big underwater cave (and entering all of them are necessary if you want to explore the whole cave) and that's exactly the reason why this cave is the only one I actually despise, in any core-series Pokémon game ever. But whether you are in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn or Sinnoh, you'll always find that their water routes have something in common: Tentacool is the most common Pokémon you'll find on the water, hence I named it the Zubat of the Seas. Heck, Tentacool is the equivalent of water, because its body is composed of 99% of the goddamn stuff...

Yes, I know I can slap a Repel on when I'm at sea, but let me have this rant about water routes, okay? Like, shut up.

A huge-ass Tentacruel completely demolishing a city in the
anime episode "Tentacool and Tentacruel"; season 1, episode 19.
Due to its content, the episode was temporarily banned after the
events of 9/11, until Cartoon Network began airing the series.

Anyway. You know who also thinks Tentacool is a pest? Nastina, a resident of an seaside city in the anime called Porta Vista, who wants to build a hotel for the wealthy right on top of a coral reef inhabited by Tentacool. Nastina (which is indeed derived from 'nasty'; she also has a cousin called Brutella, go figure) offers a million-dollar reward to anyone who can exterminate the Tentacool, as the jellyfish Pokémon are constantly attacking the construction site and everything and everyone related to it, because it is destroying their natural environment. Naturally, when Team Rocket hear of the reward, they try to eradicate the Tentacool with some device. They are surrounded and attacked, however, and the device lands on the head of a Tentacool who then evolves into a Tentacruel more than a hundred times its usual size. From then on, the demolition is complete. The gigantic Tentacruel, accompanied by its fellow Tentacool, goes and destroys the city, using Meowth as a mouthpiece to make their intentions and objections known. Only pleas from Misty could make it stop and return to the sea.

I'll never forget that episode.

Official Ken Sugimori art of Tentacruel.

That episode is not the only interesting thing about Tentacruel, though. It is actually also a competent competitive Pokémon. It is a fast special tank that is often used for support and defense rather than offense, as its attacking stats are decent but nothing to write home about. Therefore, most EVs are invested in its speed, HP and special defense, and sometimes even in its mediocre defense stat combined with max HP. This is necessary for Tentacruel to endure the battle as long as it possibly can, so that it can set up with Toxic Spikes and Scald (an attacking move that has a chance to burn the foe), remove the opponent's entry hazards with Rapid Spin and remove the opponent's Pokémon's items with Knock Off. Toxic is for flying types, who are immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, whereas Sludge Bomb and/or Acid Spray provide for good STAB moves. The latter even harshly lowers the foe's special defense stat, which might give Tentacruel the chance to knock it out or forces the opponent to switch out. Its ability Liquid Ooze is the preferred ability, making the foe lose HP rather than gain HP when it uses an HP-draining move like Giga Drain, Drain Punch or even Leech Seed. Rain Dish heals Tentacruel when it's raining and Clear Body prevents its stats from being lowered, but neither is worth the hassle. For an in-game Tentacruel is doesn't matter, but such a Tentacruel is more offensive, anyway. It is versatile enough: teach it Sludge Bomb (and later on Sludge Wave), Surf, Ice Beam and Dazzling Gleam and you'll have a perfect Tentacruel.

I love Tentacruel, especially because of that 'spectacular' episode of the anime. Could you even imagine how more fearsome this thing would look like when it's showing off all of its tentacles? That's right, Tentacruel might have up to 80 tentacles, but most of them are hidden, leaving only 14 of them exposed. If that doesn't make you shudder, then I don't know what does.

Rating: 4.5/5