Picture taken in a forest near Victoria City in 1982. Tentaquil?
Because the Pokémon World's society and ecosystem are based so heavily around the mysterious creatures we call Pokémon, it's no surprise that we humans, with our limited understanding of the world and penchant for storytelling, would soon give rise to many myths about the world. In Kanto, they have the myths of Mount Moon, the legendary birds, Missingno., and the Mew under the truck. In Johto, there's the famous story of the Brass and Bell Towers. Hoenn has its story about the beast of the land and the beast of water, and the three monsters sealed away in ancient caverns. Sinnoh has a story about the very creation of the universe itself, and Unova has its mythology of the two heroes and their dragon Pokémon.
Tatsu has Tentaquil.
Tentaquil was first sighted in 1939 by Prof. Charles Weatherby while leading a class of Smuggon University students in observing the use of Pokémon's Stealth Rock in the wild. It was described later in one of the student's journals as "...a great purple lumbering beast the size of a Dragonite, with strange goggle-like rings around its giant red eyes, and a sharp, curved beak. It looked at us, we all flinched, and when we looked back, it had teleported away!".
Tentaquil has been sighted almost fifty more times in the decades since, first in 1940, then in 1946, 1956, 1961, and 1967 before disappearing throughout the seventies. Then, in 1982, the Pokemon Cryptozoology Association of Tatsu received an anonymous contribution. It was alleged picture of Tentaquil that was snapped in what looks to be the outskirts of Victoria City. This sparked a massive revival of interest, and claims of Tentaquil sightings have skyrocketed in the three decades since. However, many people remain skeptical about the image, including Vanessa Abbot of Audubon Town. "I've seen it myself, and I know it's a bug Pokémon!" she affirmed. After every single sighting of this mysterious Pokémon, blood trails have been spotted in the vicinity.
A single claw is rumored to exist that would be the proof of Tentaquil's existence. It is coveted by Centria's cryptozoology museum. However, no one has seen it.
Future sightings will no doubt be reported. Until then, keep watching this page.
This article has been sponsored by the Tentaquil Watchers Across Tatsu, or TWAT.