The Temple of the Sea is the palace of the Prince of the Sea and also a symbol of the friendship between humans and marine Pokémon.
It is said that human eyes cannot see the temple.
Silas personally confirmed this. Under the Phione's direction, Wailord began to dive.
The suffocating pressure he had expected never came. It felt as if he had passed through a bubble and entered a mysterious space.
There was no water here, yet Water type Pokémon swam freely, completely unaffected.
Clearly, they had entered the Temple of the Sea.
Everything that met his eyes left even Silas, who had seen many grand sights before, feeling astonished and incredulous.
Corals and shellfish that were rarely seen on land were everywhere here. Pearls the size of fists or even as large as a dog's head were nothing more than decorations.
But those were only secondary. What truly attracted Silas's attention were the Pokémon living within the palace.
Seadra, Cloyster, Mantine, Qwilfish, Samurott in both its Hisuian and regular forms, male and female Basculegion, and even schools of Wishiwashi…
It could be said that no matter how rare a Water type Pokémon was, it could be found here.
White striped Basculin, which were almost impossible to see in the outside world, swam here in groups.
This place was simply paradise for Water type Pokémon enthusiasts.
They did not linger at the outer area. Phione led them straight into the depths of the temple.
The large Phione placed a crown upon its head, and together they all shouted toward the deeper part of the palace.
"Phion-na!"
(Dad, wake up!)
Their voices echoed through the temple, yet the Pokémon sleeping within showed no reaction and gave no sign of waking.
The large Phione froze for a moment, then removed the crown from its head to check whether this so called wake up bell was broken.
That was right. The so called secret treasure, the Sea Crown.
In the eyes of the Phione, it was nothing more than a wake up bell for their unreliable father.
The large Phione refused to give up and signaled its siblings to raise their voices.
"Phion!"
(Dad, bad guys are tearing the temple apart outside!)
"..."
There was still deathlike silence. Even the floating specks of light within the hall did not tremble.
The Hisuian Samurott beside them raised a brow as if to say that trick was already used last time.
Little Phione's eyes rolled around thoughtfully. It leaned close to the large Phione and whispered something in its ear.
Soon after, the large Phione placed the Sea Crown on little Phione's head.
With a childish and tender voice, the little one shouted, "Phion~"
(Dad! Uncle Samurott is about to drink all the coconut milk soup!)
The Hisuian Samurott spat in protest. "Samurott!"
(What nonsense are you saying? How can you be so selfish?)
Before its words even finished, there was finally movement from the deepest part of the temple.
The pearl curtain swayed slightly, and then a dark figure shot out like an arrow, charging straight toward the Samurott.
The figure moved so quickly it nearly left afterimages. The Hisuian Samurott was pressed down by a gentle yet irresistible force.
"My coconut milk soup! Spit out my coconut milk soup right now!"
Silas then saw a Pokémon that looked seventy to eighty percent similar to Phione digging its hand into Samurott's throat.
The Hisuian Samurott shook its blade like fins in grievance, casting a look at the Phione that clearly said it was more wronged than anyone in the world.
The Phione giggled, and little Phione hid in Silas's arms.
Manaphy did not care about anything else. It had been waiting for coconut milk soup for a very long time, and now it looked as if it would not hesitate to uphold justice over family ties if it did not get it back.
The regular Samurott nearby could not bear to watch any longer and stepped forward to persuade.
"Samurott~"
(The coconut milk soup has not even started yet. Your Highness, please let go.)
"Really?"
Silas stepped forward to support the claim. "Really. The Phione only said that to wake you up."
Manaphy glared at its unfilial children, then released the Hisuian Samurott and awkwardly patted it as if to ease the embarrassment.
At this moment, Silas observed Manaphy with interest, this second most important figure of the sea.
This tiny being that could speak on equal terms with both Lugia and Kyogre.
Its body had the same color scheme as Phione. The two antennae on its head were very long, each ending in a spherical tip.
Its irises were deep blue, its sclera yellow, and two lines extended from its eyelashes to connect to two yellow circular markings.
Its arms were longer than its body, its legs short and thick, and eighty percent of its body was composed of water.
Manaphy did not even spare the Phione a glance. Right now, its heart was filled only with coconut milk soup.
It immediately circled around Silas, tugging at his arm and shaking it. "Human, when are you going to make coconut milk soup for me?"
Manaphy possessed an innate mystical ability. As long as it wished, it could communicate heart to heart with any human or Pokémon.
Speaking human language was merely the most basic aspect of that power.
"Are you missing ingredients? I know a place that has the most delicious coconuts. Do you need other ingredients too? I can have the Samurott go gather them."
At this moment, for the sake of a single bite, Manaphy would do almost anything.
If it meant sneaking up and slapping Kyogre while it was sleeping, Manaphy might even consider whether it was feasible and how to shift the blame onto Groudon afterward.
After all, those two would start fighting whenever they met. Adding a little more chaos would not make much difference.
"Phion~"
Little Phione, hiding in Silas's arms, looked at its father curiously. He really did seem unreliable.
Only now did Manaphy notice the child it had once sent away.
"L-l-little Phione, hello there!"
"Phion~"
(Hello, Dad~)
Silas fell silent.
He had seen fathers and sons who did not get along, but this was the first time he had seen a father and child who were simply unfamiliar with each other.
Manaphy's entire focus remained on coconut milk soup. As for its child, how could that compare to soup?
Despite its small size, it radiated authority. "You all go gather ingredients from the seabed. The rarer, the better."
With that single command, a grand ingredient gathering operation began.
Manaphy had its own little schemes. Since this human could make super delicious coconut milk soup, he must also be able to make other wonderful dishes. It intended to eat its fill in one go.
If Silas knew what Manaphy was thinking, he would have no choice but to give it a thumbs up.
As expected of you, Manaphy.
Under Manaphy's lead, the group left the Temple of the Sea and arrived at an island known for its top quality coconuts.
It was an uninhabited island located in the middle of the sea. As soon as they stepped onto the sandy shore, Silas released all the Pokémon he carried with him and let them play freely.
Manaphy stayed attentively by Silas's side. Without needing to be told, it had already picked the coconuts and handed them over.
The moment Silas's fingers touched one, a panel suddenly appeared before him.
[Sunshine Coconut: Top tier ingredient. A coconut grown by absorbing abundant sunlight and the essence of seawater. The flesh is delicate like cream, and the juice is sweet without bitterness. It is an excellent ingredient for making Sweet Century Soup.]
"Century Soup."
He had not expected to see a description related to Century Soup here.
It was truly a pleasant surprise, an unexpected gain.
He had already mastered the direct method for creating the fresh flavor, and now he had a clue about the sweet flavor as well.
For spiciness, he could experiment with fiery peppers.
At present, he was still lacking any leads for salty, sour, bitter, and astringent flavors.
Once he returned, he could try making the sweet version of Century Soup.
But for now, he would first make coconut milk soup, otherwise Manaphy would never stop pestering him.
(End of Chapter)