Later that night, while everyone was doing their own thing, May sat outside, looking down at the water with a smile. In the distance, she could hear Manaphy humming a little song.
May was enjoying the soft music when she heard footsteps behind her. As she turned around, she saw Lizabeth walking up to her.
"Hey, figured I'd find you out here."
"Heh...yeah," May said, scratching the back of her head, "I just wanted to see Manaphy again...and I kinda lost track of time."
Lizabeth chuckled and stepped beside her at the railing, "You know that tune? My father says it's the Song of the Water."
May tilted her head, "Song of the Water?"
Lizabeth nodded, resting her arms on the railing as she looked out at the sea, "He says the people of the water sang it when they wanted to find their way."
"Yeah, Manaphy is amazing, isn't it…" May said with a faint smile on her face.
"Oh yeah, by the way, May, I wanted to give you this," Lizabeth said as she took her bracelet off and handed it to May, "Here, the people of the water's seal. I want you to have this one," she added, fastening it onto May's wrist.
"Wow, it's so pretty!" May exclaimed, looking at the shining bracelet, "Thank you so much," she said as she gave a quick bow. But as she did, the wind suddenly picked up, and her bandana, wrapped around her head, came loose and started flying away.
"Ah! oh no!" May cried out as she tried to catch it, but she missed. The girls ran after it.
Just as it looked like it was going to fall off the ship, a hand reached out and caught it. With his other hand, he grabbed May by the shoulder so she didn't crash into his chest.
It was Ash.
"Well," he said with a crooked grin, "that almost became a sea offering."
May blinked up at him, still slightly off balance from nearly running into him, "M-My bandana!"
Ash tilted his head innocently, "Pretty sure it was trying to escape. Can't blame it, life at sea is dangerous."
May huffed, reaching for it, "Give it back!"
"Sure, sure. Besides, we wouldn't want you to go around without your bunny ears~," Ash teased.
May blushed in embarrassment, "I told you a million times, they aren't bunny ears!"
"Suuureeee, keep telling yourself that. Anyway, here you go, Buneary~," Ash said, putting the bandana back in her hand.
"Don't call me that!" May huffed as she snatched her bandana back and turned away from Ash, crossing her arms.
"Suuureeeee," Ash teased as Lizabeth, in the background, tried hard not to laugh.
May huffed and marched back into the ship, "I hate you," she said, but everyone could tell she didn't mean it.
Ash kept chuckling as May slammed the ship door. Lizabeth finally took a breath to calm herself down and turned to Ash.
"Well, I need to go ask my family how far we are from the Sea Temple. Bye," she said as she ran into the ship as well.
Ash smiled as he waved, but as the door closed, his smile finally fell. He looked out at the sea. As far as he could tell, he'd done as much as he could to make sure things went smoothly.
But one thing he couldn't control was where the Phantom was. Knowing him, he was probably following them. Ash had even sent out his Pokémon to swim around and search the area for any submarines or helicopters, but they hadn't found anything.
So either they had something that Ash didn't know about, or worst case, they might already know where the Sea Temple is. But how? And why would they know that? They have Manaphy...or at least a Manaphy.
Either way, he needed to be careful. Sure, getting the powers of the King of the Sea would be cool, but it wasn't worth the trouble. It would be better if he could just kick Phantom out and leave it at that. But since he couldn't find anything, he could only hope that Phantom had lost them, or at least decided to just follow them. That would be easier than the alternative.
—
Meanwhile, in a submarine deep underwater, Phantom was sitting in his chair, talking to someone on the other side of the call. It was Archie of Team Aqua.
After the disaster that happened before, Phantom had grown so desperate that he turned to Archie, an old acquaintance, and made a deal.
"So...you think you can get us Kyogre if we give you what you want?" Archie asked, looking down at Phantom through the screen.
"Yes...that's all I need," Phantom replied, looking smaller than ever.
You see, Team Aqua had already been looking into the Sea Temple. It was said that with the power of the Sea King, even Kyogre could be summoned. But that was all it was, rumors and speculation. Nothing ever confirmed whether it was truly worth the trouble.
Since the Temple of the Sea was located in the waters connecting Kanto and Hoenn, they had poured some funding into researching it. But it never went anywhere, especially since it could only appear during an eclipse, and Manaphy was required. They didn't even know a Manaphy was supposed to hatch this year.
And since they had their own problems in Hoenn, like actively fighting Team Magma, and the fact that some of their admins were either out of commission or on other missions, they simply couldn't spare the resources to pursue it and risk exposing their larger plans.
After all, they might control the media in Hoenn, but in Kanto, that was a completely different story.
But now here came Phantom, claiming he was on its trail. All he needed was their research and everything they had on the Sea Temple, and they could get results.
Archie had no reason to refuse, especially with an opportunity like this. So with a bored look, he sent the information to Galen's computer. Of course, Archie had no reason to fully trust Phantom either, so the information he sent wasn't complete, just in case Phantom got the idea of betraying them.
"We'll see. And one more thing, don't fail me. You know the price of failure," Archie said as he narrowed his eyes and looked down at Phantom.
For the first time, Phantom shivered in fear as Archie ended the call.
For a moment, Phantom didn't say anything. Then he grit his teeth and punched the nearest wall, leaving a dent in the metal.
"Damn him!" He hated this, hated all of it.
"Sir...I'm afraid I don't know if this is enough," Galen explained. Even with their own research, there were five possible locations, and the time frame for when the temple would become visible was only about twenty minutes at most.
"He set us up." Phantom cursed himself for being so stupid and desperate. He swore that if he ever got his hands on Archie, he would rip his arms off.
Just as Phantom was about to march out, another notification appeared on Galen's computer. This one came from someone else.
It read:
I look forward to seeing what you'll do. Consider this an investment~
— From Audrey
Attached to the message were exact coordinates.
"…Audrey…" he muttered. He remembered that name, the one who had recently joined Team Aqua and quickly risen through the ranks, though for some reason never becoming an Admin. Phantom himself had his own connections in Team Aqua, that was how he had Archie's number in the first place.
"And you trust this?" Galen asked carefully.
"No," Phantom replied. Then he turned sharply, "But I don't care. The Sea Crown belongs to me. And if it means playing into their plan, so be it. I'll destroy them all soon enough."
A wide, toothy grin spread across his face.
"Change course. Prepare my personal ship, I'll go ahead alone. Follow with the submarine and wait for my signal."
"It shall be done, Captain," Galen said with a salute.
Phantom turned and walked off. His Chatot stirred from its sleeping spot and flew up to perch on his shoulder.
—
It was the next night after the last time they'd been here. Shep kept following Manaphy, only stopping when it was time to eat. Everyone was helping out on the ship in any way they could.
As for Ash, he volunteered to sweep the deck, even though they told him he didn't have to. He insisted, putting on his "golden boy" smile that made parents find it hard to say no to him. Eventually, they gave in because he insisted so much.
As he swept, he kept glancing out at the sea, searching for any sign of Phantom. But he hadn't seen anything. So focused on Phantom possibly following them, he didn't even notice when something passed beneath the ship and continued on.
Then night fully fell. The only sounds were the gentle splashing of water as Manaphy happily swam ahead, before finally stopping and spinning in place to get everyone's attention.
"This must be it," Shep said as he slowed the ship to a stop.
At the same time, the Buizel family stood up on their hind legs and looked up at the sky.
Jack noticed first, "Ah, look, the eclipse is starting soon!"
"That means we'll all be able to see the Sea Temple!" Lizabeth said happily.
"And Manaphy can have its home," May added, smiling down at where Manaphy was splashing around.
"Okay, so how are we doing this?" Max asked, turning back to Kyle and Shep, "Do we just wait?"
"Well, we can, but where's the fun in that?" Shep said with a smirk, "Tell you what, kids. I've got a submarine here on my ship. Why don't you go down and look around with Manaphy?"
"Are you sure? Shouldn't you all go, since it's about your ancestors?" Brock asked.
Shep pointed down at the controls, "Well, I have to stay up here to drive the ship."
"Me too. If you're using the submarine, I have to help out so you kids don't get lost," Meredith added, and Kyle nodded in agreement.
"But the submarine has a camera, so we can see everything~. And don't worry, I taught Lizabeth how to drive it," Shep said with a wink, earning a slight side-eye from Kyle, though he said nothing.
"Wow, really? I get to take us down there?" Lizabeth said wistfully.
Shep gave her a nod, "Sure. Besides, might as well let one of us get to see it," he chuckled.
Kyle folded his arms but gave a small smile, "And don't get distracted."
"Me? Distracted?" Lizabeth gasped dramatically.
Max leaned toward May and whispered, "She's totally going to get distracted."
"I heard that!" Lizabeth shot back, grinning.
A few minutes later, Lizabeth led them to the submarine. It was a smaller one, but it could still fit all of them, including Jack, since Ash had pushed him to come along, you know, just in case.
Finally, they descended into the water as Lizabeth took the controls, "Alright, we're off!"
From the radio, Shep's voice rang in, "Testing, testing. Is this working?"
"Yep, we hear you loud and clear," Brock, who was closest to it, answered first.
"Perfect. Can you see Manaphy?" Meredith asked.
As if on cue, Manaphy's little face pressed against the window next to May, making her jump. But when she realized it was Manaphy, she smiled, "Ah! Yes, Manaphy is right here!"
Manaphy smiled and placed its hand on the window. May gently pressed her finger against the glass where Manaphy's hand was.
This time, Ash peeked his head next to May and pressed his finger to the glass as well, "Alright, Manaphy, lead the way. Take us to the Sea Temple."
Manaphy happily nodded as it swam ahead, then waved its little arm toward them.
"You heard him, follow that prince," Jack said as he buckled in.
The submarine engines hummed as Lizabeth carefully followed.
Above the surface, the moon was slowly slipping into an eclipse.
"Whoa…" Max whispered, pressing his face to the glass, "This is so cool."
"Stay focused," Kyle's voice crackled through the radio, "Depth check?"
"Stable!" Lizabeth answered proudly, "Everything's working perfectly."
As they traveled through the water, Max kept his face pressed to the glass, staring out into the deep blue, "Wooow, it's so cool!"
"Try not to drool too much, Max," Ash said with a smirk. But the smirk hid the fact that his eyes were scanning the surroundings carefully. Then he noticed something.
"Hey, Liz, let's go around that rock. That one has a riptide," Ash said, pointing it out.
"Oh really?" Lizabeth blinked.
"Yeah, he's right," Kyle's voice cut in, "I'm looking at the radar now, there's a strong current there. Good eye catching that."
"Please, you're too kind. I just do my best," Ash said humbly. Of course, he knew there was one, why would he let them get caught in it? Only an idiot would allow that.
"Alright then, I'll go the long way around," Lizabeth announced as she changed direction, carefully avoiding the strong current. Because of that, the submarine remained securely connected to the ship above.
With the danger completely avoided, they continued safely onward, until suddenly, Manaphy, who was slightly ahead of them, swam forward…
And then it looked like it disappeared.
That caught everyone in the sub by surprise, but they didn't have time to react. Soon, they crossed the same threshold, and the area around them seemed to distort for only a second before clearing again.
Outside, they saw Manaphy waving at them. And behind it was a large underwater city, built in a spiraling pattern around central buildings, all intricately designed. They also noticed a massive dome surrounding it.
"So that's…" May started.
"The Sea Temple!" Lizabeth finished.
Max practically jumped up to the window, "Wow, it's so cool!"
As everyone stared in awe, Manaphy knocked on the window, snapping Lizabeth out of her trance as it gestured for them to follow.
Before she could respond, the radio suddenly crackled to life.
"Everyone, are you okay?! The radar isn't picking you up anymore!" Shep's voice cut through.
"Uh, we're fine, but you can't see us?" Lizabeth asked.
"It must be the defense of the Sea Temple," Jack concluded as he walked over and took the radio, "Can you see through the cameras at least?"
"Yes, I can see you from my side," Meredith's voice answered.
"Okay, well, Manaphy is asking us to keep following it. I think we're going into the temple," Lizabeth said.
"Remember, stay safe. We still have you connected to the line, we can pull you in anytime if you feel like you're in danger," Kyle replied as they continued moving forward.
As Manaphy led them closer, they realized the dome surrounding the temple was actually an air pocket. When they passed through it, the submarine shifted and floated normally.
Lizabeth found a place to park, and after a hesitant pause, they decided to open the hatch.
Brock peeked his head out first and confirmed what they had suspected, "There's air here."
With that, he climbed out.
One by one, everyone followed, staring at the temple in awe. It was massive, splendidly built and breathtakingly beautiful. A true wonder of architecture.
The structure was cone-shaped, with lights illuminating every level. The pillars were magnificent, and the design looked simple at first glance, yet intricately detailed.
Spirals surrounded the entire structure, and it looked incredibly complex, as if even one misplaced pillar could cause the whole thing to collapse.
"I can't believe we're under the sea!" Max said, staring up at the water dome around them where Pokémon swam freely overhead.
But the moment May's feet touched the ground, she began looking around frantically.
"Manaphy! Where are you?!" she called, checking the left side of the submarine.
Manaphy, however, was on the right, next to Ash.
Ash leaned down and gently picked Manaphy up in his arms. Manaphy allowed it without hesitation. Maybe it was Ash's Aura, or maybe he just felt comforting, but Manaphy happily enjoyed being carried.
Ash looked up and called out, "Manaphy's over here."
"What?!"
The second May saw Ash holding Manaphy, she hurried over without thinking.
"Manaphy!"
Manaphy chirped happily and stretched both little arms toward her. Ash barely had time to react before May stepped right up to him and scooped Manaphy into her own arms.
May hugged Manaphy gently against her chest, "You scared me for a second! Don't just disappear like that, okay?" she said softly, rubbing her cheek lightly against its head.
Manaphy giggled and patted her face in response.
Ash sighed helplessly, though he was smiling, "I think it just wanted to show us its home."
Behind them, Max slowly pushed his glasses up and rubbed his hands together with the most suspiciously pleased grin imaginable.
"Heh...excellent…" he muttered under his breath.
Brock blinked, "Max, what are you doing?"
"Nothing," Max said quickly, though he was still watching Ash and May standing close together, practically co-parenting a mythical sea prince, "Just observing...developments."
Jack raised an eyebrow, "You're being weird."
As May continued holding Manaphy, the bracelet Lizabeth had given her, the People of the Water's seal, began glowing a soft blue. At the same time, Lizabeth's necklace started glowing the same color, since it was made from the same material.
Across from them, one particular doorway shimmered to life. The stone around it glowed faintly as the water in front of it slowly parted, forming a clear path inward.
"I guess the temple is telling us where to go, huh?" Lizabeth said in awe.
"Maybe we can look around before we have to let Manaphy stay here," May said quietly, hugging Manaphy a little closer.
She wasn't crying, not like she thought she would be. She was smiling. It was a bittersweet smile, but it was still a smile.
Everyone understood why. No one asked the obvious question.
Instead, Ash turned toward the surrounding water, "Okay, let's go, but give me a sec."
He pulled out two Poké Balls and tossed them into the air. With twin flashes of light, Horsea and Feebas appeared beside him, splashing lightly in the shallow water.
"Hey, you two," Ash said brightly, "There are a bunch of Pokémon here. Go look around, have some fun, I'll be back in a bit!"
He put on his usual easygoing smile. And no one questioned it.
But really, Ash had told Horsea and Feebas the plan beforehand. They were going to swim around and search for the large submarine, to keep watch.
Ash was confident he could take on a submarine and destroy it.
Now the only question was when it would show up.
He left that part to them. He had done everything in his power. Once again, he made sure Phantom would get no opportunity to gather information or gain any kind of advantage.
As they continued walking, they reached a chamber with a large stone tablet at its center. Strange words were carved into it, none of the group could decipher them.
With the exception of Lizabeth.
"Ah, it looks like this door can only be opened with the Song of the Sea," Lizabeth said excitedly, glancing back at Manaphy.
May smiled and hugged Manaphy gently in her arms, "Okay, Manaphy, you can do it. Sing us a song, please."
Manaphy happily obliged. It closed its eyes and began humming a soft, gentle melody.
As the notes echoed through the chamber, the tablet began to glow. Thin lines of light spread across the walls like veins awakening from a long sleep.
Then they felt it, the trembling beneath their feet. The hidden entrance was activating.
But suddenly, the warm, happy atmosphere shattered.
From the doorway ahead, water began slowly gushing in, rising quickly to their heels.
"What, water? But why-" Brock started to say, but he didn't get to finish as everyone rushed forward into the next room. Brock quickly abandoned the question and ran after them.
They splashed through the rising water as it climbed higher and higher, until they finally reached the opening at the end of the hall.
Beyond it was the chamber where the Sea Crown was supposed to be.
And it was there, but they weren't alone.
A certain pirate stood before it, his Chatot circling near the top of the dome ceiling. Across the chamber walls, several sealed openings had been broken open. Water was violently pouring in from every direction.
The temple was beginning to shake.
At the center of the room stood the Sea Crown, a stone pedestal with multiple long blue crystals jutting outward, And the Phantom was pulling them out one by one
As the group burst into the chamber, Phantom yanked free the central crystal and slowly turned toward them, a wide, triumphant smirk spreading across his face.
"It's too late," he said coldly, "The Sea Crown is mine."