Chapter 201:True Ambition! The Temple of the Sea Under the Moonlight!

“Impressive, Serperior.”

Natsume walked over to Serperior and smiled, “As expected, it’s in good hands with you.”

“Serperior~”

Serperior affectionately rubbed against Natsume’s cheek.

Having reached Champion level, Serperior was indeed stronger than those three Pokémon.

Moreover, both Leaf Storm and Frenzy Plant, the moves Serperior excelled at, were area-of-effect and multi-target attacks, allowing Serperior to easily secure victory even in a one vs. three scenario.

Natsume looked at Brando and said, “It seems everything has come to an end now.”

“Do you have anything else to say?”

Brando’s eyes glinted red as he stared at Natsume.

“No, it’s not over yet!”

Brando suddenly shouted toward the sea, “Silvally, Self-Destruct!”

Under the sea.

Silvally heard Brando’s voice.

However, at that moment,

A massive figure suddenly swept past in the depths of the sea.

Silvally’s body was abruptly immobilized.

A tremendous Inner Focus surged through its body.

The technological devices attached to Silvally suddenly detached and separated from it, rising directly into the sky.

Boom~

In the night sky, it looked like a massive black mushroom cloud had suddenly erupted.

Terrifying energy rippled outward in waves.

Natsume gazed at the night sky in awe. “What incredible power.”

“Lugia~~”

Lugia emerged from the surface of the sea.

Ohtaka had already obtained Silvally's data.

Therefore, Natsume also knew that the power capable of rivaling Lugia did not belong to Silvally itself.

Since it was merely a weapon, this made things much easier to deal with.

Natsume simply needed to let Lugia use Psychic to detach the technology loaded onto Silvally and send it skyward.

There was no need to withstand Silvally’s explosion directly.

“Dragonite~”

Dragonite raised Silvally above the ocean surface.

“Dragonite?”

Dragonite asked how to handle this guy.

Natsume still felt tempted by Silvally.

After a moment of thought, Natsume looked at Lugia and said, “Lugia, can I handle this guy?”

Lugia had already flown over to little Lugia’s side.

“Lugia~”

Little Lugia happily jumped onto its back.

Lugia nodded slightly.

It wasn’t concerned about this.

Natsume took out a Poké Ball and said, “Your trainer doesn’t seem to want you anymore, so you can come with me from now on.”

At this point, Silvally had already fallen unconscious and could not respond to Natsume. 

“Let’s learn more about things later.”

After saying this, Natsume pointed a Poké Ball at Silvally.

Shake~ Ding~!

Successfully captured.

Brando watched this scene, falling to his knees in despair.

“Indeed, as a human, no matter how much I plan, I will still fail.”

“As a human, you?”

Natsume recalled Brando's earlier statement.

Humans have limits!

Natsume teased Brando, “What, don’t you want to be human anymore?”

Brando replied, “Exactly!”

“So what if I’m an Elite-level Trainer or a renowned scientist?”

“With my current state, I can’t avoid being hunted down by time, and I can’t even deal with an ordinary Pokémon myself.”

“The human body ultimately has limits, so I don’t want to be human anymore! I want to become Lugia!”

At this moment, Brando finally revealed his plan: “Manaphy can exchange hearts with all beings.”

“If I can obtain Manaphy, then I can exchange bodies with Lugia!”

Brando's gaze longed for little Lugia.

His intense stare made little Lugia shiver.

Humans are terrifying.

Lugia looked at Brando with a hostile expression.

Brando, at this point, was indifferent to everything.

He continued talking to himself, “The Temple of the Sea possesses the power to control the sea.”

“With Lugia’s body and the crown of the Temple of the Sea, I can become the true sea god, surpassing Lugia and Kyogre!”

After hearing Brando, Natsume was a bit taken aback.

Natsume thought for a moment and realized that there was indeed some merit to this line of thinking.

Theoretically, it was feasible.

Natsume couldn’t help but praise, “What a talented individual; you really are a researcher.”

Brando abruptly lifted his head, his gaze filled with venom as he stared at Natsume. “But you ruined everything.”

Gardevoir was disapproving of his current demeanor.

Brando continued to ramble, “I should have owned this ocean.”

Under Gardevoir's intense gaze, Brando suddenly felt his body stiffen.

He clutched his chest, revealing an expression of pain, then collapsed to the ground.

In the next moment, Brando vanished from sight.

His body was teleported into the deep sea.

Meanwhile, Mega Gardevoir's body, with a flash of white light, reverted from Mega Evolution.

Natsume and the surrounding Pokémon saw the dilapidated airship slowly sink into the sea.

It sank along with Brando's ambition into this ocean, filled with stories, and vast in expanse.

Dragonite created an ice floe, allowing everyone to stand steadily upon it.

Natsume thoroughly relaxed, stretching and saying, “It’s finally over.”

“I wonder if Manaphy has successfully reached the Temple.”

Ding dong~

Quest Name: Manaphy and the Temple of the Sea Completed.

Quest Reward: Unlock Temple teleport point; Master Origin Pulse; All Pokémon in the Farm gain one level; treasure draw *3.

At that moment, Gardevoir suddenly looked toward the surface of the sea.

“The temple is rising.”

A huge whirlpool appeared on the ocean's surface.

At the center of the whirlpool, something resembling the peak of a tower emerged first.

Then, a magnificent palace gradually leaped from the whirlpool of the sea.

As the night sky descended, the stars began to twinkle above.

The full moon hung high, resembling a jewel positioned atop the palace.

Amidst the azure starry sea, this grand and splendid palace stood dreamily in the expanse between sea and sky.

“Manaphy~”

A joyful cheer rang out as Manaphy flew out of the palace, soaring toward Natsume.

“Welcome home, Manaphy.”

Natsume smiled at Manaphy.

“Manaphy~”

Manaphy happily replied, and after parting from Natsume, it swam eagerly toward the front.

It quickly found the temple.

It was calling out to Manaphy!

After speaking, a golden light suddenly illuminated Manaphy’s body.

This light connected Natsume and Manaphy.

Not only Manaphy, but the Temple of the Sea and this entire ocean also began to glow at that moment.

Notice: Received blessings from Manaphy and the Temple, your Inner Focus and physique have increased.

Notice: Your level has risen to 70.

Notice: You learned the moves: Rain Dance, Hurricane.

“Vaporeon~”

At that moment, Eevee suddenly transformed into Vaporeon.

Notice: Your Vaporeon received the blessings of the Temple of the Sea and Manaphy, and its level increased to 77.

“Milotic~”

Milotic quickly swam over from the sea.

“Natsume”

Watanabe excitedly stood above the submarine, waving vigorously toward them.

Natsume smiled and said, “Everyone, everything went smoothly.”

“Wartortle~”

The Wartortles also jumped into the water at that moment.

Natsume continuously received notifications of Pokémon leveling up.

Notice: Milotic received the blessings of the Temple of the Sea and Manaphy, its level increased to 70.

Notice: Wartortle, Frogadier, and Marshtomp received the blessings of the Temple of the Sea and Manaphy, their levels increased to 30.

Notice: Wishiwashi Ruler leveled up to 65.

Among Natsume's team, all Water-type Pokémon saw significant level increases.

Notice: Gardevoir received the blessings of the Temple of the Sea and Manaphy; Gardevoir’s level rose to 73.

Notice: Dragonite leveled up to 88.Serperior leveled up to 82.

The Farm continued to send notifications.

After Manaphy's task was complete, all non-Water-type Pokémon that participated in this event also leveled up under the blessings of the Temple.

“This must be the blessing of the sea.”

“Although it doesn’t quite match the legends of controlling the sea, it’s still not bad.”

Natsume thought to himself.

“Manaphy~”

Manaphy pulled Natsume and the others toward the Temple.

Onami and Watanabe also walked down from the submarine, following Natsume into the Temple.

Watanabe gazed at the ancient and mysterious Temple of the Sea before him, marveling, “So this is the Temple of the Sea from the legends! What an incredible structure.”

“What has allowed it to drift on the sea for countless years?”

“It’s hard to imagine how everything here was built.”

“It’s truly magical.”

Watanabe felt excitement and curiosity about everything here.

Natsume followed Manaphy into the interior of the Temple.

The palace's grand entrance was made of thick copper.

Beautiful patterns were engraved on it, depicting various lifelike Water-type Pokémon.

The main structure of the palace was constructed from pure white marble, which emitted a faint glow under the moonlight.

As they stepped into the interior of the palace, a vast hall rose to the clouds, adorned with intricate paintings depicting stories of the Water Tribe from countless years ago.

Natsume and the others continued deeper inside, where a winding corridor had water flowing alongside it.

The source of the water was a fountain.

Along the path to the fountain, many artworks were displayed.

There were paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and even books.

Onami followed beside Natsume, taking in the sights.

Clearly, the environment here differed from what she had imagined.

Onami exclaimed, “This place feels less like Manaphy’s home and more like a place for humans to live.”

Natsume nodded slightly. “It does have that feeling.”

As Natsume spoke, he looked around with satisfaction.

This place truly seemed suitable for humans to live.

The group followed Manaphy to the fountain.

Inside the fountain were blue crystals.

These crystals were clearly the energy source powering the Temple of the Sea.

To support such a massive palace floating in the sea, and even being able to camouflage, the energy consumption must be immense.

Natsume looked at the blue crystals and thought, “In the legends, the crown that holds the power to control the sea might refer to these crystals.”

Watanabe suddenly understood. “I see.”

“Manaphy~”

Manaphy continued to lead Natsume upward.

They reached the summit of the Temple of the Sea.

Standing at the peak of the Temple and looking around, Natsume felt a unique sensation.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed that they had unconsciously been surrounded by a large group of Water-type Pokémon.

Sharpedo, Finizen, and a school of Luvdisc were all gathered here.

They swam excitedly around the Temple of the Sea, the atmosphere filled with joy.

The ocean Pokémon harmoniously congregated together.

They had all come from afar to attend a grand event.

“Lugia~”

Little Lugia also joined them.

It eagerly swam alongside the other Water-type Pokémon, moving its body joyfully.

They seemed to be dancing a dance belonging to the ocean.

Lugia stood beside Natsume and said softly, “Humans, thank you for your help. I will remember this favor.”

After speaking, a feather floated from its body into Natsume's hands.

Notice: You have obtained a Silver Wing.

Natsume reached out to take it.

“When you wave this feather, the wind will inform me of your location.”

Natsume smiled at Lugia and said, “So this is a summoning technique.”

Lugia looked calmly at Natsume.

“Alright, I understand.”

Natsume put the Silver Wing away and said, “I’ll use it well.”

“Natsume~”

In the sea, Onami and her Pokémon had also joined the celebration below.

She waved at Natsume with a bright smile on her face.

Natsume smiled back and waved his hand.

At that moment, Watanabe said, “Legends say that when the Temple of the Sea rises, the Water Tribe gathers together to dance with the ocean Pokémon and present offerings to the Temple.”

“I never thought I’d get to see a scene from the legends in person.”

Natsume chuckled, “That’s why life is full of surprises.”

At that moment, Manaphy began to sing.

The soothing and melodious voice calmed Natsume's heart and body.

The ocean Pokémon began to harmonize with Manaphy’s song.

This was a chorus from the ocean.

Natsume sat at the edge of the Temple, leaning back on his arms.

The wind swayed his youth attire's collar.

Under the full moon, the song echoed.

In the waves were the silhouettes of countless Water-type Pokémon swimming.

Gradually, the song came to an end.

Natsume glanced at the time.

It was already past eight.

“Manaphy.”

Natsume looked at Manaphy and said, “It’s almost time to head back.”

“Manaphy.”

Manaphy hesitated for a moment, then tears welled up in its eyes.

Manaphy thought Natsume and the others were leaving it behind.

Natsume smiled at Manaphy’s expression and said, “Manaphy, you know, the Temple has another incredible feature.”

“It can take you to the place you most want to go.”

“Manaphy?”

Manaphy looked confused.

“Of course, it has that ability.”

“Shall we give it a try?”

“Manaphy!”

Natsume pointed to the empty plot of land ahead and said, “Now think with me, Manaphy.”

“Think about where you want to go right now.”

“Manaphy? If I want to go, can I go?”

Natsume assured, “Absolutely, if you want to go, you can.”

Images of everything in the Farm immediately appeared in Manaphy’s mind.

Manaphy was born in the Farm.

Upon opening its eyes for the first time, the first faces it saw were Natsume, Dragonite, Arcanine, and Eevee, all the Pokémon in the Farm.

They warmly welcomed Manaphy’s arrival.

However, having suddenly left the water and being in a completely unfamiliar environment made Manaphy nervous, causing it to cry.

Thus, in a mix of joy and anxiety, Manaphy had its first encounter with the Farm.

Manaphy quickly adapted to life at the Farm.

It helped Lopunny milk the Miltank, searched the garden for snacks from Ribombee, played hide-and-seek with the Eevees, and watched battles at the battle arena.

Every day at the Farm was lively and bustling.

Now, Manaphy had returned to the Temple of the Sea.

This was the mission that Manaphy was born with.

It was the prince of the ocean, an important factor in maintaining the balance of the sea, so it had to return to the water.

However, this didn’t mean that Manaphy couldn’t leave here.

“Manaphy~”

Manaphy wanted to go back to the Farm and play hide-and-seek with everyone at the Temple of the Sea once more.

“Farm teleport point, open.”

In front of Natsume and Manaphy, a swirling space teleport portal slowly appeared.