By the time they heard Manaphy's call again, their ship had arrived at another exceptionally quiet section of the sea.
"Up there!"
Mark pressed his face against the glass, waving goofily at Manaphy.
After a short rest, Kyle resumed his role as captain, slowly guiding the ship upward until they broke through the surface.
"Whew..."
Everyone let out a breath of relief at the same time. The pressure of being enclosed in the deep, dark sea wasn't something easy to endure.
"Let's go, let's get out there!" Mark said impatiently before the ship had even come to a full stop. He wouldn't feel at ease until he could physically hold Manaphy.
The group returned to the first level of the cabin and headed up to the deck. There, they saw Manaphy happily splashing about on the surface, clearly in a great mood.
…But what really caught their attention was that this wasn't actually the open ocean, they were inside an underwater cave!
The dome overhead was pitch black, but the water reflected some light, allowing everyone to see Manaphy.
"This is the place our ancestors once explored? But without a submarine, how did they even find it?"
Meredith gazed dreamily at the massive mural in the distance. Who knew how many years had passed, the mural was now covered in moss, but the patterns and symbols themselves were perfectly intact, just partially hidden.
Manaphy didn't ask to board the ship but continued swimming forward until it reached the part of the mural that emerged from the water.
Kyle cautiously led the ship a little closer, then said, "We can't go any further. If we do, we risk running aground."
Everyone understood that the ship was their only way back, so they each sent out a Water-type Pokémon to carry them over.
Joseph chose to ride alongside Sato on Sharpedo, while Mark was carried by Kyle's Whiscash, clearly, the two of them had gotten along well earlier.
"Mana~ Mana~"
Manaphy leapt into Mark's arms, nuzzling affectionately against him.
Mark laughed heartily, his eyes full of gentle warmth.
At that moment, Meredith rode up on a Sealeo and arrived at the mural. She noticed that the nearest area had a few stone steps.
She approached the mural, carefully clearing away the dust and debris. An image gradually came into view.
Then, Meredith pulled out the same bracelet that had once awakened Manaphy and slowly brought it toward the circular center of the mural.
A soft blue light burst forth as both the bracelet and the mural began to glow. A mechanical whirring sound echoed faintly from within, and the center of the mural quickly retracted, revealing an opening.
Meredith took a deep breath and slowly placed her hand into the gap.
Suddenly, the entire mural lit up with a dazzling blue glow, causing everyone to squint instinctively.
Once their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they saw that a passage had opened up ahead, stretching endlessly forward.
"Mana!"
Manaphy let out an excited cry and darted ahead, swimming swiftly along the water channels lining both sides of the passage.
Everyone exchanged glances, then recalled their Pokémon and took off running after it.
The passage had no light of its own, but wherever Manaphy swam, a trail of blue light appeared, guiding them forward step by step.
This "ligh show"… like something out of a protagonist's grand entrance, fired everyone up to quicken their pace, their hearts quietly stirred with excitement.
The full majesty of the Sea Temple was finally about to unfold before them…
Suddenly!
The dome above the passage disappeared, and the entire massive palace lit up with golden light, as if welcoming the long-awaited owner.
Fountains began to surge, flowers slowly bloomed, and the water channels on both sides of the path merged into a wide river encircling the entire palace.
From top to bottom, waterways ran throughout, allowing Manaphy to go anywhere it pleased.
Because this place belonged to it… The Sea Temple!
"Manaphy…"
Mark murmured softly, watching the Prince of the Sea swim freely through the palace, a flicker of clarity flashing through his heart.
'Maybe… this was where Manaphy truly belonged. This was what the Prince of the Sea was meant to be.'
"Mana!"
Manaphy swam up through the waterways and waved back at Sato and the others, as if saying, "Come on up already!"
The five of them had no reason to refuse. They began climbing the stone steps one by one, all the way to the top of the palace, and then walked straight inside.
The palace at the summit was large but very empty. At the very back stood something that looked like an informational panel, quietly waiting there.
Manaphy followed the ever-present water channels to rejoin the group, leapt onto Mark again, and peeked curiously at the contents of the panel.
"What kind of scribbles are these? Manaphy, can you understand any of it?" Mark groaned, holding his head helplessly.
"Mana!"
Manaphy jumped down in front of the panel and pointed seriously at a few symbols, then pointed at itself.
"…Those symbols represent you?" Joseph instantly caught on and quickly asked.
"Mana~" Manaphy nodded, then glanced over the rest of the content. Seeing it didn't recognize anything else, it leapt nimbly back onto Mark's shoulder.
Sato, Joseph, and Kyle couldn't make sense of it either. As they looked around, they quickly noticed Meredith frowning, seriously studying the symbols while muttering to herself.
The three exchanged looks and quietly waited beside her for an explanation.
"I think I've got the gist of it," Meredith said after a moment, straightening up and continuing, "With proof of the People of the Water, the Sea Crown sleeping behind the great gate shall awaken.
Only after receiving the Sea Crown can the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy, become the true king."
After hearing that, everyone turned to look at Manaphy. It seemed like the time had come for it to make a decision.
"Mana?"
Manaphy looked at them curiously, not quite understanding why they were all staring at it like that.
'A little shy…'
Seeing this, Meredith took out the bracelet and brought it near the panel.
Immediately, the crown symbol on the panel responded to the bracelet and began to glow with a soft blue light.
The crown emblem extended a beam of green light toward the wall behind them, forming a circular pattern resembling a password dial. Meredith was clearly prepared and quickly turned it a few times.
Right after, the wall behind the panel began to shift and then suddenly opened!
First panel, second panel, third panel… six mechanical doors in a row opened consecutively. Meredith nodded to the group and took the lead walking in.
The path wasn't long, and soon they arrived at the location of the Sea Crown…