"What in the world is this?! Could that rumor actually be true...?"
David's pupils shrank as the massive shape burst free from beneath the surface.
The shockwave from its emergence sent the warships — already several kilometers back — rocking steadily from side to side.
Is this Pokémon even real? Someone call Arceus.
What had appeared was a Pokémon that was both common and extraordinarily rare — a Mantine.
Common, because Mantine were found all across the ocean and anyone who had ever sailed far enough offshore had likely spotted one at some point. But rare, because this particular Mantine was over a hundred meters long.
Numbers alone might not paint a clear picture, so consider this: a normal Mantine reaches at most two or three meters from wingtip to wingtip. The creature now looming before them was larger than three of the warships David stood on, placed end to end.
This was a true giant of the sea. Anyone seeing it for the first time would feel the stirrings of something close to megalophobia.
What on earth did this thing eat to grow so large?
Name: Mantine (Giant Special Individual)
Type: Water / Flying
Energy Level: 79 (Advancing)
Ability: Swift Swim
Held Item: Damp Rock
Known Moves: Wing Attack, Tackle, Supersonic, Psybeam, Bullet Seed, Roost, Water Pulse, Agility, Air Slash, Aqua Ring, Blizzard, Twister, Tailwind, Surf, Waterfall, Rest, Rain Dance, Hurricane, Take Down, Hydro Pump...
This Mantine was no hollow giant. It was a powerhouse that had reached the peak of Champion-level and was beginning its push toward the Legendary threshold.
David had thought that after encountering the Island Guardian, nothing could shock him on the basis of sheer size alone. He'd been wrong.
In coastal cities like Belon City, long-distance sailors had always whispered about what lurked in the deep ocean — Mantine as large as small islands, and turtle Pokémon capable of carrying entire landmasses on their shells. Before today, David had written those off as tall tales and sailor's superstition.
Standing here now, he wasn't so sure anymore.
There was a reason such rumors persisted without ever being confirmed, and it had everything to do with how the Pokémon world differed from the world that had come before it. Technology had advanced in strange and uneven ways here. Satellites, for instance — the kind that once mapped every corner of the Earth — were all but nonexistent in this world.
The reason was simple: the atmosphere was considered the domain of the Rayquaza lineage, and that boundary was not open to negotiation. Meteorites falling from space at least served as a meal. Rocket-launched satellites, on the other hand, were nothing but worthless debris to be swatted away.
Because of Rayquaza's influence, satellite technology had never developed. The deep wilderness and the ocean's depths remained largely uncharted, and the rumors that drifted back from those places had never been properly verified.
Perhaps there were many more Pokémon like this Mantine out there — scattered across the world's forgotten places, enormous and unseen.
But size wasn't the only thing that made this Mantine dangerous. In the open sea, its combat power was almost certainly proportional to its scale.
In terms of raw marine combat, nothing in the same tier could match it, David thought to himself. Not even Dad's Dragonite.
Dragonite might edge it out in pure power on equal footing, but when it came to area control in a sea battle, there was simply no comparison. With a body this size, a few careless moves in open water would be enough to scatter an entire fleet. If this Mantine ever used Surf against a coastal city, the resulting wave would likely be hundreds of meters high — more than enough to submerge most of the shoreline.
"Gym Leader Derren, there's no glory in pressing someone already cornered. Do an old man a favor and let's call it here."
The voice came from the Mantine's back — aged, calm, and carrying a quiet authority. A closer look revealed that a small structure had actually been built atop the sea giant's back, and the voice drifted from within it. For a Mantine of this size, building a village up there might be a stretch, but a few modest buildings? Entirely reasonable.
Upon hearing the voice and seeing the Mantine surface, Janis's face shifted — first a flicker of relief, then something more complicated. Clearly, this person mattered to her.
"I'll release her. But you are to leave Cloudspire Alliance territory immediately. The Sea God's Breath stays — that belongs to my son as the spoils of this battle. And if I ever find out you've laid a hand on him again, you already know what follows."
"Beyond that, you will compensate the Cloudspire Alliance in full for all damages — resources and personnel alike."
David's father glanced at the Mantine for a brief moment, then agreed without further argument and moved straight into discussing terms.
"That's more than fair. We'll leave at once. The Sea God's Breath stays — that is the victor's right."
With the other party willing to release Janis, the elder accepted the terms without hesitation. Both sides concluded their negotiation efficiently. David's father handed Janis over, and the opposing party left behind a share of resources as a deposit toward the promised compensation before departing as agreed.
David's father watched until they had gone and he was satisfied nothing had been left unresolved. Then he rode Dragonite back toward the warship.