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Tentacool and Tentacruel (Japanese: メノクラゲドククラゲ Menokurage Dokukurage) is episode 19 of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on August 5, 1997 and in USA on October 1, 1998.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

Misty spots an injured Horsea in the water as she, Ash, and Brock wait for the next boat to the mainland. The Horsea seems to be communicating a warning, but Misty doesn't understand it and tries to capture it. Before she captures the Horsea, though, there's an explosion and a boat is destroyed. Misty immediately sends her Water Pokemon Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen to rescue the sailors that have been flung into the ocean. Brock grabs a nearby boat and heads out to assist in the rescue effort. The sailors are mum about what caused their ship to explode.

Later, Ash and his friends meet Nastina, who is the spitting image of Brutella from the previous episode. She explains her plans of building an exclusive hotel on the ocean (literally, perched on a coral reef) for wealthy tourists. However, her building plans are upsetting the local Tentacool and Tentacruel, who've been attacking her construction site recently. She wants the Pokemon exterminated and offers a million dollar reward, which Ash and Brock are eager to accept. Misty angrily rejects Nastina's offer. She then explains her love of Water Pokemon to Ash and Brock, who don't quite understand her. Nastina then makes a public announcement offering a million dollars to anyone who exterminates the Tentacool and Tentacruel. The gang are nearly run over by the town's citizens, rushing to the beach to carry out Nastina's orders.

Team Rocket, who are always nearby, offer to help Nastina. They plan on using their "Super Secret Stun Sauce" on the Pokemon and then selling them at a fish market for more money. However, their submarine is soon surrounded by angry Tentacool, one of whom blasts the stun sauce with a ray gun-type attack. The sauce lands on another Tentacool, which then morphs into a gigantic Tentacruel and begins a citywide rampage. Meowth is captured by the large Tentacruel and is used as its mouthpiece. It explains that it's destroying the city in much the same way Nastina has been destroying its coral home. The Horsea that Misty saw earlier pleads with the Tentacruel to stop, but is swatted away by a tentacle. Ash and Brock send out their Pokemon to stop the Tentacruel.

The Tentacruel doesn't understand why the Pokemon would fight on the side of the humans, but then Misty stops it in its tracks. She's managed to get to the roof of a building and pleads with it to stop its rampage. She tells the Tentacruel that the humans now understand that what they were doing was wrong, and that the hotel won't be built on the coral reef. The Tentacruel drops Meowth onto a nearby Ferris Wheel, which then collapses, and then slowly goes into the ocean, followed by the other Tentacool. Nastina attempts once again to destroy the Tentacruel, but is blasted out of her tank by Horsea's attack and by the Tentacruel's tentacle. She is thrown into the air and finally lands on Brutell, destroying Brutella's restaurant in the process.

Ash, Misty and Brock finally board a boat to the mainland. Misty declares that "Horsea's the cutest!" and does Ash's victory pose, which annoys him. The sun sets on another adventure.

Major events

Misty captures a Horsea

Debuts

• Tatacool
• Giant Tentacruel
• Misty´s Horsea

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Nastina

Pokémon

Who’s That Pokémon?: Horsea

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Butterfree (Ash's)
• Pidgeotto (Ash's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Goldeen (Misty's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Starmie (Misty's)
• Horsea (Misty's; new, debut)
• Zubat (Brock's)
• Tentacool (debut)
• Tentacruel (giant; debut)

Trivia

• The hotel that Nastina plans to build atop a coral reef strongly resembles the Atlantis Hotel and Casino in the Bahamas.
• This episode was banned for a few years following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Errors

Dub edits

In other languages

• French: Tentacool et Tentacruel
• Portuguese: Tentacool e Tentacruel

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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.