Phione is a Pokémon that lives in warm ocean waters, and the best way to see them is usually to dive beneath the sea.
But for Silas, there was no need to go through so much trouble.
"Little one, you really felt them?"
"Phion!"
The Phione in his arms nodded seriously. It could clearly sense other Phione approaching.
"Alright then, we'll stop here and wait for a while. We can also use this chance to lure the Hunter's Union members out into the open."
"Phion~"
Phione stirred the surface of the sea with its tiny hands, feeling a little afraid that its older brothers and sisters might not like it.
They were about to meet, and it was only natural to feel nervous and let its thoughts run wild.
Silas comforted it and gently rubbed its head. "Don't worry. We prepared lots of gifts. They'll like you so much they won't have time to do anything else."
They did not have to wait long before Phione's eyes suddenly lit up as it looked out toward the distant sea.
Over there, whirlpools began to form one after another, and soon Phione started emerging in succession.
Their azure blue bodies blended almost perfectly with the color of the seawater. If they had not stirred the surface themselves, it would have been difficult to spot them even if they appeared right in front of someone.
"Phion~ Phion!"
Little Phione waved its small hands enthusiastically.
The other Phione looked over, startled for a moment, then swam toward them all at once, surrounding Silas's small boat.
The largest Phione among them swam forward first. It glanced at Silas cautiously before tilting its head and carefully examining little Phione.
"Phion?"
(So, you are the little brother our unreliable dad sent off to someone else's home?)
"Phion-na!"
(That's me, that's me. Silas and Mama Kangaskhan treat me super well.)
Little Phione lifted its head proudly and began telling its newly met family about how amazing Silas was.
Especially when it came to cooking. The food was unbelievably delicious, so fragrant it could practically make your tongue fall off.
The Phione listened with half belief and half doubt, until one of them suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Phion?"
(Is he that human who can make super delicious coconut milk soup?)
"Phion~"
(That's right.)
In an instant, pairs of eyes all turned toward Silas.
The way the Phione looked at him changed completely.
The largest Phione directly grabbed the corner of Silas's clothes.
"Phion~"
(Can you make me a bowl?)
The other Phione called it shameless and immediately surrounded Silas together, all for the sake of a single bowl of coconut milk soup.
Silas could not help but laugh. He had not expected coconut milk soup to have such overwhelming appeal.
"Not right now. There aren't enough ingredients on the boat."
He explained patiently, "Wait a little longer. Once we reach the Temple of the Sea, everyone will get a share."
"Phion~! Phion~!"
(Hooray! Hooray!)
The Phione were overjoyed. They could not wait to return home.
Just as things were lively on their side, the hidden Hunters made their move.
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet!" times three.
Three Sharpedo lurking beneath the sea revealed their sharp fangs and charged forward at top speed.
The sudden attack interrupted the Phione's conversation.
Silas noticed a submarine slowly surfacing. So, the Hunters had been hiding beneath the sea, which explained why they had been impossible to find.
"Milotic, Water Pulse."
Cynthia, who had been lying in ambush inside the ships cabin, finally acted. She had been waiting precisely for this moment.
The pale pink body of Milotic drew a graceful arc across the sea surface. With a light flick of its tail fin, a pale blue Water Pulse spread out instantly.
Not only did it block the Aqua Jet attacks of the three Sharpedo, it also rebounded the shockwave back into the sea, forcing the Sharpedo to retreat awkwardly while thrashing their tails.
Suddenly attacked, the Phione were furious.
The largest Phione let out a clear cry. Its melodious voice echoed across the sea, sending ripples spreading outward.
The hatch of the submarine opened, and several Hunters dressed in black uniforms jumped out.
One of them raised a capture net launcher and aimed at the Phione. "Stop talking and grab these Phione the client wants first!"
Before they could act, the small submarine suddenly began to shake violently.
Then came panicked shouting.
"This is bad. Something pierced the bottom of the submarine. Water is flooding in!"
The shaking grew more intense as seawater poured wildly through the breach at the bottom.
The Hunters scrambled to plug the leak, but they could not even stand steadily and had to cling desperately to the hatch.
In the very next moment, a streak of silver light pierced straight through the submarine.
With a thunderous explosion, the submarine shattered into pieces.
The Hunters, hearts pounding, lay sprawled on the backs of their respective Pokémon, barely escaping disaster.
But had they truly escaped?
The sea around them began to churn violently, bubbles rising up from below.
Then one Water type Pokémon after another appeared, forming layers upon layers of encirclement around them.
On the outer perimeter, there was even a Wailord as massive as a cruise ship slowly approaching. The one that had just sunk the submarine was a striking Empoleon.
Like a warrior, it swung its blade like flippers, and with each motion, a Hunter's Pokémon fell.
This Empoleon was incredibly powerful, no weaker than the main Pokémon of a member of the Elite Four.
"Phion~"
The large Phione reminded them not to kill.
Although Phione look small and seem easy to bully, that was far from the truth.
In the ocean, they are genuine little princes with a very special status.
Bullying the offspring of Manaphy in the sea is equivalent to slapping the face of the Prince of the Sea, and it is also like kicking the backsides of two Sea Gods.
The Water type Pokémon roared as they launched their attacks.
(For Lord Kyogre!)
(For Lord Lugia!)
For a moment, the Hunters were completely unable to defend themselves.
Their Pokémon were defeated one after another, and even the Hunters themselves were bound tightly by Octillery's tentacles, unable to move in the slightest.
"Thank you, Phione."
Silas stepped forward to express his gratitude and took out Poffins suitable for Water type Pokémon, feeding them to the gathered Water types.
He actually wanted even more to feed the handsome Empoleon from earlier, but unfortunately it had left immediately after the battle ended, giving him no opportunity.
At this moment, an Officer Jenny finally arrived belatedly.
Silas handed the captured Hunters over to her.
With the danger resolved, the Phione and the Water type Pokémon waved goodbye to one another.
Only the Wailord remained in place.
"Phion~ munch munch."
Holding a Poffin and nibbling at it in small bites, the large Phione waved its hand.
It signaled for Silas and the others to come along. They would all ride Wailord home together.
For the sake of coconut milk soup, every single Phione was urging Silas, and little Phione was no exception.
With that, Silas had no choice but to say goodbye to Cynthia.
This meeting had only been a coincidence. They agreed that they could contact each other through the Xtransceiver.
Silas then boarded the Wailord, and with a deep and resonant whale call echoing across the sea, they set off toward the depths of the ocean.
The back of Wailord was spacious enough, so Silas released all of his Pokémon.
Morpeko quickly became friends with the Phione and shared snacks with them.
Little Phione also took the opportunity to hand out the gifts it had prepared, greatly increasing its favorability among them.
His Veluza swam alongside Wailord, while Noivern circled overhead.
Kangaskhan looked at the large group of adorable Phione and could not possibly pet them all with just two hands, her eyes and face filled with motherly affection.
With the Phione leading the way, it was far faster than trying to navigate with a vague and unreliable map.
Thus, they finally arrived at the location marked on the map carried by Relicanth.
(End of Chapter)