Captain Phantom started charging to get to May and steal the Egg before it hatched completely. Maybe he could still salvage this, but he didn't get that far because Jack ran in and tackled him to the ground.
"Not happening!" Jack roared.
He slammed into Phantom from the side, tackling him full force. The two of them skidded across the rocky ground, dust kicking up as Phantom snarled and tried to shove him off.
"You persistent little Ranger—!"
Jack drove a fist into Phantom's side, "You picked the wrong family to mess with!"
Behind them, the Egg's glow intensified, a brilliant blue light as it started to crack and hatch right there in May's arms.
Then, as the light dispersed, there in May's arms was a little baby Manaphy. It blinked, looked around, then saw May and giggled, reaching its little nub hands out.
"No! It was supposed to hatch under my care!" Phantom repeated as he pushed Jack off him. But this time Jack was ready, he grabbed him by the legs, making Phantom fall face-first onto the rocks again.
Meanwhile, as for Phantom's two Pokémon, Brock had just finished taking care of them with his Aerodactyl. It took practically nothing since Brock was way stronger.
And up in the sky, Ash and Dragonite grabbed the helicopters and took care of them. Heck, Dragonite grabbed one by the tail and started using it as a bat to hit the other two like baseballs, sending them flying.
And if someone from inside tried to open the door to shoot Ash or something, Pikachu and Vee were on standby to shock them with Thunderbolts, so he was more than fine, they couldn't even make him sweat.
Meanwhile, as Phantom was on the ground, Shep managed to get the van working again. He turned it on and drove it between the kids and Phantom, sticking his head out of the window, "Everyone hop in, now!"
Lizabeth's parents were already inside, so she nodded as she looked at May and Max and quickly grabbed them by the wrists, "Come on!" she tugged them along, and they followed. Meanwhile, Jack jumped up and grabbed onto the railing, and Brock ran around, jumping in after Lizabeth.
"What about your friend?" Lizabeth asked as she realized Ash wasn't there with them.
"He'll be fine," Brock, May, and Max said in unison. They knew Ash too well.
Phantom tried to get up and grab onto the back of the vehicle before they started driving, but in case you forgot, Arcanine was still out. She jumped between him and the van, growling.
That made Phantom hesitate long enough for the van's wheels to start spinning, and they sped off at maximum speed. Once they did, Arcanine turned and used Extreme Speed to catch up with them and run alongside the van.
That left Phantom there on the rocks with his unconscious Pokémon. He growled in frustration and grabbed a communicator, "Galen, come in. Pick me up, we can't let them get away."
But the voice that came back wasn't Galen's. It was Ash's.
"Sorry, your planes are useless now~"
Phantom's eyes widened in shock as he looked up. There he saw Ash on his Dragonite, and in Ash's hand was the communicator he had personally ripped out of the plane. Ash smirked, then threw it, hitting Phantom directly on the head.
Phantom recoiled, holding his head in pain, "Grrr, brat, you don't know who you're messing with."
Ash rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, save the villain speech. It's bland and unoriginal. You know, I don't really like people like you. But don't worry, your crew is probably fine. I only threw them," Ash said playfully.
He wasn't joking. I mean, if the Rocket Trio getting blasted off every episode never killed them, Ash having Dragonite throw their planes like footballs wouldn't do anything more than leave bruises.
"But you know, I have to thank you. I haven't gotten to do this in a while. I've missed doing this," Ash said as he snapped his fingers.
Vee and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulders, their cheeks starting to sparkle. Dragonite began sparkling too.
"Wait, what are you doing? No, no, no...you wouldn't—"
Phantom took a step back, but it was too late.
"Thunderbolt," Ash said calmly.
Pikachu, Vee, and Dragonite unleashed a triple Thunderbolt that shocked Phantom and then sent him blasting off into the sky, yelling, "I'LL BE BACK!!!" as he faded into a glint.
Ash took a breath. He really did miss doing that. Since a certain trio hadn't been around to annoy him, he hadn't had the chance. But yeah, like he said earlier, if they could handle getting blasted off every other week, Phantom would live.
So Ash was just going to have to prepare for when they got back.
But you know, that seemed like a tomorrow-Ash problem.
He rubbed Dragonite's head, "Alright, girl, let's catch up to them."
Dragonite let out a happy noise and nodded before turning and flying off.
—
{Back in the jeep}
Now that everyone had a moment to catch their breath, they looked around at each other, and especially at May, who was holding Manaphy.
It was a Mythical Pokémon, so May, Max, and Brock recognized it immediately.
Manaphy looked completely relaxed, nuzzling against May. It even fell asleep to the gentle bumps of the road.
They also didn't talk about the fact that they had basically driven off without their friend, but again, May, Max, and Brock didn't look worried.
"So that's the situation," Shep finished explaining.
Since they had time, and the gang did save them, they explained everything.
Basically, Ranger Jack had taken the Egg, which was Manaphy's Egg, from a man who called himself Captain Phantom. He supposedly wanted to use the Egg for his own selfish reasons, though Jack didn't fully understand what those reasons were.
The reason Lizabeth and her family were involved was because the Egg was connected to the Temple of the Sea. The Temple of the Sea once housed the People of the Water, an ancient civilization (that was NOT connected to Pokélantis...for some reason).
Anyway, the People of the Water were direct descendants of that ancient civilization and continued to act as custodians of its culture. That's why they agreed to help the Rangers. In return, they would return the Egg, which was connected to the Sea Temple.
And that was the long and short of it.
They were on a mission to return the Egg, or now, I guess, Manaphy, to Akusha, the Temple of the Sea.
And they couldn't let Captain Phantom get Manaphy for his selfish plans.
May, Max, and Brock sat there, taking a moment to process what they had just learned. I mean, for Brock it wasn't that out of the norm, but still, it was always shocking when it happened. Especially since they had just dealt with one of these situations not even two days ago at the Tree of Beginnings.
Lizabeth cleared her throat softly as she sat next to May, "I know it's a bit much to take in, huh? Yeah, it's weird sometimes." Then she looked at the sleeping Manaphy, "If you'd like, I can take it...over," she offered.
May didn't really have a reason to say no, especially since Manaphy was apparently connected to Lizabeth and her family, so she nodded and gently held Manaphy out.
But as soon as Manaphy left May's hands, the little Pokémon started crying and wrapped its arms around May's chest, refusing to let go.
Lizabeth laughed helplessly, "I guess it likes you more."
Meredith let out a small snort, "Maybe it thinks you're its mom~" she teased.
"Well, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. It might have imprinted on her," Kyle said, rubbing his chin.
May froze, "I didn't sign up for motherhood!"
"Manaaa~!" It cuddled closer.
Max immediately burst out laughing, "Congratulations, May! You're a mom now!"
"I AM NOT!" May snapped, her face turning bright red as Manaphy happily nuzzled into her chest, "It just hatched! It doesn't even know what's going on! And I already have an Egg I need to take care of!" May used her other hand to point to her bag, where the brown Egg was still sitting in its incubator.
"Manaaa~" Manaphy cooed, tightening its tiny grip.
Over in the corner, Jack frowned at the sight but said nothing.
Brock crouched slightly to examine the little Mythical Pokémon more closely, his eyes soft, "Actually...Kyle might be right. Some newly hatched Pokémon imprint on the first person they see."
May stared down at Manaphy in horror, "You're telling me it saw me first and just decided, 'Yep. That's my mom'?"
Max leaned forward with a smug grin, "What? Didn't you tell Ash and Brock that you were more 'motherly'?"
Then Max paused and tapped his chin, "Huh...so that's why Ash asked for that in writing…"
"Oh, speaking of which, about your friend—" Lizabeth began, about to ask if they should go back and try to save him since he might be in danger.
But suddenly, the jeep rattled slightly as a large shadow passed overhead.
Lizabeth perked up, "Is that—?"
A familiar orange figure swooped down alongside them.
Outside the window, Dragonite effortlessly matched their speed, flying smoothly beside the vehicle. Ash was casually sitting on her back, as if nothing dramatic had just happened.
Ash gave them a relaxed two-finger salute from Dragonite's back, Pikachu and Vee perched on his shoulders like usual.
"Told you he'd be fine," May, Max, and Brock said in perfect unison.
Shep blinked, "Does he always enter like that?"
"No. Sometimes he's more dramatic about it," Brock answered immediately.
Ash leaned slightly closer to the window and knocked on it midair.
Lizabeth flinched and quickly pressed the button to lower the window.
"So," Ash said with a grin, "did I miss anything important?"
"May's a mom now," Max said immediately, already trying to think of a way to make a joke that somehow involved Ash as the dad.
"I am not! Don't say it like that!" May shoved Max's face away from the window.
"This is why I asked for that in writing," Ash said, shaking his head.
—
A while later, the van stopped at a place that looked like ruins. It was actually pretty close by, even if they hadn't been in a hurry or chased by anyone.
On the way over, Ash had told them he took care of the planes and they weren't being followed. But they should still be careful, if someone that stubborn existed, he probably wouldn't give up. Jack agreed.
Now that everyone had a moment to breathe, they started getting out of the van. Lizabeth and her family were openly staring at Ash and Brock.
"…Wait," Meredith said slowly, "You're—"
"Ash Ketchum," Shep finished dramatically, pointing at him, "The Indigo League Champion."
Ash scratched the back of his head. He forgot that, even if it was two years ago, he was still famous in Kanto for some reason. He didn't know why, and he honestly hated it.
"Uh...yeah. That's me."
"And you're Brock," Kyle added, looking impressed, "Pewter City's Gym Leader. You were part of the Gym Leader Tournament a few months ago, weren't you?"
Brock straightened proudly, "Indeed I was."
May leaned over to Max and whispered, "Look at him. He's glowing."
"I can see the sparkles," Max whispered back.
Ash quickly cleared his throat before Brock could start posing, "Actually...we were already looking for you guys."
That caught their attention.
"You were?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah," Ash nodded, "Our friend Misty asked us to check in on you. The Waterflower Sisters invited the Marina Group to perform back in Cerulean City, but you never showed."
Meredith blinked, "Oh."
Lizabeth looked guilty, "We meant to send word…"
Shep nodded, "Yeah, we kinda got sidetracked after we were contacted by the Rangers...so I guess we forgot to send an email for a rain check…"
Ash shrugged, "Meh, oh well. On the bright side, it made it so we were here to save you guys," he said playfully, "It's fine. But I guess we're kinda involved now, aren't we?"
"I suppose you are. I apologize," Shep said, giving a small, polite bow.
"No, you don't have to, really. It's no problem at all," May said, even though that was a bold-faced lie, especially since she was literally holding a baby Mythical right now.
"Well, we would be honored to help. At this point, it's kinda our job," Brock said helplessly. This was, what, the fifth time or so they'd had to deal with legendary or Mythical problems?
"Besides, I promised Misty I'd bring you guys over to Cerulean, and I never break a promise. So I guess you're stuck with us," Ash added playfully.
Lizabeth's nervousness vanished at that, "Ah, well, if we have both of your protection, then we have nothing to worry about!" she said, clapping her hands excitedly.
Jack frowned again.
Now that Shep knew they were coming, he broke into a big grin, "Alright then, follow me!" he said, leading the group into the ruins.
Together, they all went down the stairs. It was dark, so Ash whistled, and Pikachu's cheeks started sparking with Flash, lighting up everything and making it safer to descend.
When they reached the bottom, it looked like a dead end, a brick wall with what appeared to be a small red gem embedded in it.
But instead of stopping, Kyle smiled and looked back at everyone, "Watch this~"
He raised his wrist, revealing a strange bracelet made of blue crystals. As soon as it touched the wall, the surface began to glow and light up.
Strange symbols appeared all over the wall as it began to move, revealing a hidden passageway. Inside was what looked like another dead end, and a pool of water.
Instead of stopping, the family grabbed some Poké Balls and threw them into the water, releasing their Dewgong, Seaking, Gorebyss, and Poliwhirl.
Meredith looked at the others who weren't part of their family, "Do you have any Water Pokémon? You can borrow one from us if you need to," she offered, as Kyle handed Jack a Poké Ball containing a Buizel since he didn't have any Pokémon with him.
"Oh yeah, we do," May said quickly. She was about to reach for her belt, where she still had Wailmer, but stopped.
Wait, no. Wailmer was too big. And there was also a chance he'd just blast her with water again. So, no.
Instead, she grabbed another ball and released Squirtle. Brock sent out Marshtomp, while Ash released Crawdaunt for himself and handed Horsea's Poké Ball to Max to use.
Once everyone had a Pokémon to ride or hold onto, Kyle climbed onto Dewgong and looked back at the group, "Follow me, and stay close, alright?"
Then they were off, diving into the water and navigating the many hidden tunnels of the temple.
—
{Meanwhile}
The pirates regrouped, bruised and battered from the beatdown Ash had given them. The helicopters they'd used were destroyed, so they had to call in another one. That was two million Pokédollars each, for a total of six million Pokédollars lost just from those helicopters.
It also took them a while to find Phantom. They eventually discovered him strung up in a tree before pulling him down and bringing him back aboard.
Phantom was badly hurt, but that didn't really matter, since he didn't rely on his own physical strength.
You see, Phantom was actually of pretty average strength, at least by Pokémon world standards. The reason for his monstrous power was that, under his clothes, he wore a mechanical suit.
This mech suit was what allowed him to throw around giant boulders and stomp hard enough to create shockwaves. More or less, it gave him the strength of a Machamp.
Right now, parts of the suit were visible through his torn clothes, but he was already changing into fresh clothes to hide it under again
As he adjusted the suit, his first mate, Galen, was at a computer trying to track down Manaphy.
"Sir, we know where they went. The tracker we put on their van shows they headed to those ruins. But the waterway is connected to multiple exits, there's no telling which one they'll come out of," he reported.
They weren't stupid. For one, they had planted a tracker in the Marina Group's van, that was a given, since they were actively hunting them. They had also known about the ruins for a long time. They just never went there before, because without Manaphy, there was no point.
And those ruins weren't actually connected directly to the Sea Temple. Instead, they branched out through a network of underwater tunnels that led to various water-locked islands around Kanto. So they couldn't simply wait at an exit, there were at least six different ones the group could emerge from.
All that to say, they were at a dead end for the moment.
But Phantom didn't care.
His eyes were practically red with anger, "I don't care. Just find them."
He gritted his teeth, "I will get my hands on that Sea Crown."
Galen frowned but nodded anyway, "Of course, sir."
He turned back to the computer and began typing rapidly. As he did, he grabbed a communicator, "This is First Mate Galen speaking. Bring the ship to these coordinates. We'll meet you there."