Ficool

Chapter 562 - Chapter 559: Navigating Canalave City

"Phione, use Water Pulse!"

"Phio~"

Suspended midair, Phione let out a soft cry as a small blue orb of water quickly formed between its hands, then shot directly toward the opposing Skorupi.

"Skorupi, Pin Missile." Sato's command came immediately after.

Skorupi's pincers and tail claw lit up with a white glow as a dozen or so Pin Missiles shot out with a shoo~shoo~shoo, half of them striking the Water Pulse mid-flight, piercing and dispersing it, while the rest were aimed directly at Phione.

"PHIONE, DODGE QUICKLY!" Mark shouted, unleashing his secret move, Mark: Dodge Shout!

Skorupi's Pin Missile had split targeting, which made it hard to control precisely. Phione darted and twisted in the air, narrowly managing to avoid every single projectile.

"Phione, use Icy Wind to lower its speed!" Mark continued to command excitedly.

Ever since he had officially caught Phione, he had started letting it participate in training and battles.

Phione had already witnessed the strength of its teammates before, and naturally longed for that kind of power in its heart. So even though it was spoiled by Mark, it still willingly joined training and worked hard to grow stronger.

Then Mark truly came to understand what the saying meant: "A half-dead Camerupt is still bigger than a Rapidash."

Even though Manaphy had lost its right to inherit the Sea Crown and had even transformed into an ordinary -base stats- Phione, its "individual" talent was still exceptional.

As long as it was a Water-type move, it could learn and master it almost instantly, and effortlessly used Aqua Ring to gain levitation abilities.

Watching this, Sharpedo nearby fell into deep contemplation…

Back then, what was it that made her insist on learning to levitate, and even force herself to master Whirlpool, a move nearly impossible for Sharpedo species to learn?

Was it love? Was it duty?

'No… it was because Sato "the handsome" boy's blood… tasted just too good!'

Sluuurp~

---

On the deck, the clumsy scuffle between Skorupi and Phione was still ongoing.

Skorupi had undergone longer training, but Phione's talent was clearly no joke, so the two remained evenly matched in a stalemate.

Just as they were about to get serious and fight all out, Joseph immediately stepped in to end the battle.

"Nice performance, keep it up!" Sato patted Skorupi on its small head. It waved its claws in reply without objection.

Phione, on the other hand, dove straight into Mark's arms. Even though the battle had been more of a rookie scuffle, it had enjoyed it immensely.

"My Phione is amazing! Next time you'll totally take Skorupi down!" Mark cheered loudly, dragging Skorupi into the praise as well.

"Getting cocky, huh? Not satisfied? How about another round?" Sato already had a Poké Ball in hand, not indulging Mark's provocation one bit.

"EHHH? Phione, you must be hungry, right? Let's go find mama Joseph and eat!" Mark feigned ignorance and, with lightning speed, bolted to Joseph's side.

"…"

"Gengengengen~"

"Boss, I was wrong!"

Mark surrendered instantly, bowing to the Gengar behind him before it silently disappeared.

"Hmm, be quicker next time," Sato nodded, then turned and headed back to the cabin with Skorupi.

"Got it~" Mark replied with a big grin. But when he turned his head, he saw that Phione had already been taken away by Joseph.

'What a considerate little girl~ She knew not to embarrass her old man,' Mark praised Phione in his heart, then eagerly trotted after them.

At the dining table, Kyle kept glancing at Sato with something clearly on his mind.

Sato's senses were sharp, but he acted like he hadn't noticed.

Not until he finished his meal slowly did he finally speak, "Turn on the communication systems. Let's see which city on the mainland is closest."

"Right away!" Kyle responded quickly with excitement, as if afraid Sato might change his mind, and hurried out of the dining room.

Sato blinked. '…Am I really that scary?'

Now that Phione was no longer the Prince of the Sea, it had lost its function as a living navigator. Naturally, it was time to activate the communication systems to navigate back.

'But why was Kyle so thrilled about it?'

---

Soon, in the control room, Kyle turned on all the communication systems and eagerly began confirming their location.

Only when all was successfully restored did he finally let out a long sigh of relief. Only he knew how terrifying it was for a captain to let a ship drift aimlessly at sea.

After a while, Kyle returned to the group, now "calm and composed", holding a small portable map monitor.

"Confirmed. We're currently closer to the Hoenn Region. To return to Sinnoh, the nearest port is Pastoria City, but I don't recommend docking there. I think we all know why."

As he spoke, Kyle glanced around at the group. Seeing no objections, he pointed to two other cities.

"There are currently two viable options: Canalave City to the southwest of Sinnoh, and Lily of the Valley Island to the northeast. In terms of distance, Canalave City is closer."

"Then it's Canalave City," Sato declared firmly. Lily of the Valley Island was both the starting and ending point of his planned journey through Sinnoh. He didn't want to return there just yet.

"Canalave City... There's a good chance we'll be attacked again. Lily of the Valley Island is the Pokémon League's headquarters..." Meredith said hesitantly. From her perspective, the attackers would likely not dare to make a move at Lily of the Valley.

"I also vote for Canalave City. We're already being targeted, so we might as well strike first. The three of us still have the ability to protect ourselves. If they can't get to us, they'll likely come for you. Let's deal with the problem before we leave. That way, you can all be safe."

After Joseph finished, Meredith and her husband couldn't help but exchange glances, then gratefully nodded to Sato and the others.

"Then it's decided… SINNOH REGION, CANALAVE CITY~" Mark cheered loudly, waving his arms in excitement.

He was the only one who had truly gained something from this trip, so it was only natural that he was happy. The others didn't bother arguing and each went off to do their own thing, not wanting to deal with him.

The journey back wasn't as lucky as the one coming in. On the second day, they ran straight into a violent storm.

Against the wrath of nature, their small ship was as fragile as a dried leaf, tossed around by the waves.

Eventually, they dove beneath the surface into calm waters, barely managing to avoid disaster.

And without the living symbol of the Prince of the Sea, even the number of marine Pokémon they encountered dropped significantly.

Even when they occasionally saw some, they were just common Pokémon like Magikarp, Goldeen, or Wailmer. There were no more sightings of Kingdra, Milotic, or anything rare.

As Kyle put it: this was how sea voyages were supposed to be.

Two weeks later, the ship officially entered Sinnoh's maritime territory, and everyone's alertness reached its highest level.

More Chapters