Manaphy was no longer Manaphy…
Kyogre, Lugia, and countless marine Pokémon were roaring loudly, furious at Manaphy's foolishness and stubbornness. They intended to punish it for giving up its legendary position.
The golden energy extending from the Sea Crown instantly turned blood-red, and the struggling Manaphy let out a painful scream.
Mark and the others stood in shock, staring blankly at the scene before them. Manaphy had been just moments away from inheriting the Sea Crown and becoming the true king of the sea.
How did it suddenly turn into this?
"MANAPHYYY!" Mark shouted, but Manaphy kept screaming in agony, unable to respond.
Seeing this, Mark didn't hesitate. He sent out Togekiss and flew straight to where Manaphy was.
"Manaphy! Are you okay?"
Mark arrived in front of Manaphy and reached out to hold it, but the red energy clearly wouldn't allow that.
The red energy appeared to flow like liquid, yet it was so solid that he couldn't reach through it at all. Even when Mark pounded on it multiple times, it had no effect.
Just as Mark was about to have Togekiss try cutting the red energy with Air Slash, Manaphy's body suddenly underwent a faint but very clear transformation.
Its eyelashes changed from yellow to blue, and the two blue ribbons atop its head completely merged into one. The jewel at the tip of the ribbon vanished.
…But it didn't stop there.
Manaphy's legs gradually merged together, eventually forming a small pointed tip.
Once the external transformation was complete, a large amount of blue energy was suddenly drawn out from within Manaphy's body.
The blue energy condensed wildly within the red energy, gradually forming into a transparent Pokémon Egg that Mark recognized all too well…
Manaphy's Pokémon Egg!
When Mark shifted his gaze back to Manaphy again, he found it had undergone a complete transformation; it had become a different Pokémon.
Phione!
"Kyooo…!"
"Lu~gi…!"
Kyogre and Lugia had also seen Manaphy's transformation. After letting out a long cry of disappointment, they turned and swam off into the deep sea.
Very soon, waves of reluctant sighs followed, as groups of marine Pokémon trailed after the two legendarys, leaving the Sea Temple's surroundings.
The red energy slowly turned back into golden energy. Manaphy -or rather, the newly transformed Phione- was forcibly expelled and fell straight down.
Mark reacted quickly and caught it in his arms, holding it tightly, while the golden energy wrapped around the newly formed egg and retracted back into the Sea Crown.
There was no need for guessing, everyone could tell just by looking that Manaphy's legendary status had been reclaimed by the Sea Temple, returning it to a new Manaphy egg, which would hatch and become the next Prince of the Sea.
And Manaphy itself had "devolved" into a different Pokémon. One that looked very similar, but with an ordinary species potential: Phione.
However, seeing how Mark held Phione like a precious treasure, Sato and the others felt that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all.
The so-called Prince of the Sea, upon inheriting the Sea Crown, would indeed gain the power to command the marine Pokémon and become a true king.
But on the other hand, it would also be bound forever to drift with the Sea Temple, guarding its safety beneath the ocean.
In a way, wasn't that also a loss of freedom?
Now, the "ordinary" Phione could gain its freedom. It liked Mark and wanted to become his companion; there was no longer anything standing in the way.
Rumble Rumble~
Suddenly, the Sea Temple trembled slightly, and the "bubble" surrounding it began to gradually restore itself.
Only then did the group realize that the solar eclipse in the sky had long since ended, and the Sea Crown had finished recharging. Clearly, it was about to sink back into the deep sea, quietly waiting for the next Prince of the Sea to come and find it.
"Mark, let's go. This isn't the time to be emotional!" Sato snapped Mark back to his senses and pulled him, running toward the lower levels of the Sea Temple.
Although they could now swim directly out of the Sea Temple's range, without a ship, there was no way they could return to the mainland.
Mark didn't dare delay. Holding the sleeping Phione tightly, he ran with the others. Fortunately, the Sea Temple was big enough that the bubble wasn't restoring too quickly, and the group made it safely back to the ship.
Just as they stepped past the mural, Meredith's bracelet flashed briefly, and with a loud bang, the door on the mural slammed shut.
"Hold on tight, we're heading out!" Kyle sat at the helm.
The ship began to dive, retracing their path back the way they had come.
There were no undercurrents, no collisions. The ship exited the Sea Temple safe and sound.
From a broader view, it now looked like they had entered the Sea Temple through its bottom-most entrance, a passage seemingly reserved for the People of the Water.
"Look at those Pokémon… it's like they're rejecting us," Meredith said, her voice tinged with sadness as she gazed out from the observation deck.
When they had first arrived, the marine Pokémon had welcomed them with open arms, escorting them all the way.
But now that Phione had given up the succession to the throne, the marine Pokémon instantly turned cold, detouring around them.
It was laughable.
Mark remained silent, quietly watching Joseph check Phione's condition, feeling both joy and sorrow in his heart.
He had never imagined that, in the end, Manaphy would choose to give up the throne. Was it because it saw the reluctance in his eyes?
It might sound shameless to say, but Mark felt proud… between the throne and him, Manaphy had chosen him!
The ship surfaced once more. Everyone stepped back onto the deck and watched as the magnificent Sea Temple slowly sank into the ocean, until it disappeared completely from view.
"Look!"
Meredith suddenly pointed at a Milotic breaching the water in the distance. Firmly stuck to its back was a transparent Pokémon egg.
"It's Manaphy's Pokémon Egg!"
Everyone froze at the sight, but no one made a move to retrieve the egg.
Some things are just not meant to be. Let the next destined person be the one to carry the burden.
"Phiiohne~"
At that moment, Phione slowly regained consciousness. As it opened its eyes, the first thing it saw was Mark's face filled with worry.
Though still weak, Phione smiled happily. It had finally gotten what it wished for.
Becoming Mark's companion!
Seeing Phione's adorable smile, Mark couldn't help but smile back. He then took out a white/blue Poké Ball he had long been waiting to use.
"Phione, let's be together from now on!"
"Phione~"
Phione cried out joyfully, then reached out on its own to press the Poké Ball's button.
A flash of red light… Phione was drawn into the white-and-blue Dive Ball, without the slightest struggle or resistance.
Phione, caught successfully!
Sato stood to the side with his arms crossed, exchanging a knowing glance with Joseph. Both of them wore relieved smiles.
This ending… might have turned out better than expected.
Manaphy became Phione. Did anyone see that coming?
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150 PS=Chap