"So, the seven spots are confirmed."
After eleven hours of battles starting at 7 a.m., the seven spots for entering the Temple of the Sea God were finally settled.
The referee held a score list and looked at the trainers.
Master Yun Miao, the Sect Leader of Qinglong Dojo, and Zhang Yuhai, the Chairman of the Binhai Association, were both among the top seven in points; naturally, Fang Yuan was as well.
Following them were police trainer Wang Enjie, marine patrol officer Li Xiuying, and Dragon Trainer Yun Guancheng.
Master Ni Feng felt somewhat exhausted. Her Pokémon had expended a lot of physical strength and sustained serious injuries in the first battle against Fang Yuan.
Fortunately, the opponents she faced afterward were not in good condition either, and their skills were not strong; otherwise, this Master might very well have been the only one to be eliminated.
Listening to the referee announce the scores, Fang Yuan's face was calm.
"However..., if I had known it would turn out like this, I should have let Milotic or Dragonite take the field first."
Fang Yuan reached out to rub the head of the Eevee on his shoulder. The marine arena was supposed to be a great training ground for both Milotic and Dragonite...but Eevee made a mess of it...
...
After the announcement of the list, the trainers who secured a spot were naturally overjoyed, while those who didn't manage to fight for a qualification felt extremely regretful.
"It looks like the seven of us present will be the ones going to the Temple of the Sea God," said Yun Miao as he stood up. "However, we're not sure when the Prince of the Sea will appear. According to the agreed-upon time, he should show up within three days in the nearby waters, providing hints..."
A number of people left, and the seven that had earned their spots began discussing.
But just as everyone started to discuss the matter of entering the Temple of the Sea God, a change occurred.
Above the marine arena where the battles had taken place, the sea suddenly began to tremble, the waves rose and fell intermittently, and beneath the serene surface, a large dark shadow appeared.
The next moment, the sea became even more tumultuous. Countless water spouts erupted before falling back down, making it seem as though a fine rain shrouded the ocean.
Following this disturbance, the sea seemed to part as if forced open by some power, and a massive palace-like structure emerged, its grand and mysterious appearance mostly concealed by a curtain of water, revealing only a vague outline.
The trainers who remained at the marine arena couldn't help but gaze at the massive palace that had suddenly appeared, their faces showing astonishment.
"Is that... the Temple of the Sea God?" Yun Guancheng let out a cry of surprise. The Temple of the Sea God... it appeared now?
"Comparing it with the photos of the ruins left behind eighteen years ago, there are some differences..." Master Yun Miao, Master Zhang Yuhai, and Master Ni Feng all had serious expressions.
Had the Prince of the Sea reconstructed the Temple of the Sea God? Even if he had, the changes shouldn't be so great...
Or was it that eighteen years ago, humans only glimpsed a corner of the secrets of the Temple of the Sea God?
"It's incredible; the Prince of the Sea can actually control such a massive palace to sink deep into the ocean and then rise above the water surface..." Marine patrol officer Li Xiuying showed a look of admiration in her eyes.
"Yes, if the secret location eighteen years ago was a lifeless ruin at the bottom of the sea, then the structure now seems to have come to life..." affirmed Master Zhang Yuhai.
"But where is Manafei?" Fang Yuan asked himself with a gleam in his eyes.
The temple and such... he didn't care. Did these people not realize that finding Legendary Pokémon PY was the pressing matter?
Xiaozhi, with his thousands of episodes of experience, taught all trainers that maintaining good PY relationships with Legendary Pokémon brings countless benefits.
Indeed, within the water curtain surrounding the temple, there was a small blue Pokémon moving incessantly.
Ever since Manafei used its powers to rebuild the Temple of the Sea God, returning it to its original state, it reclaimed its powers as the Prince of the Sea.
Those powers could be used to connect with the Temple of the Sea God, communicating with any creature in the ocean to become its ally.
It can be said that the Manafei, which organized the Elf Siege, had limited power and could only summon creatures from a portion of the region. But now, fully integrated with the Temple of the Sea God, Manafei, completely restored to power, is the true Prince of the Sea.
Even Legendary Pokémon like Kyogre could be called upon.
By now, having regained its power, the changes in this marine region were all within Manafei's control. The previous competitions and battles were, of course, also observed by Manafei.
After a day of battles, Manafei manipulated the Temple of the Sea God to float to the surface, ready to fulfill its promise to lead the seven human trainers into the Temple of the Sea God for a tour.
Manafei believed that there were still some good people among humans. After all, the Temple of the Sea God was built with human help countless years ago; hence, Manafei was willing to coexist peacefully with humans.
The change in the marine region left the trainers on the shore baffled.
"The Prince of the Sea isn't asking us to go over now, is he?" speculated Master Ni Feng.
"It's already so late..." hesitated police trainer Wang Enjie. "But, are you tired?"
"Not tired, I suddenly feel incredibly spirited," said marine patrol officer Li Xiuying with a bright smile.
"Indeed, I'm feeling incredibly spirited." After witnessing the Temple of the Sea God, the three Masters were all stirred inwardly.
At this moment, no one would say something as untimely as "Let's rest for the night and set off tomorrow."
As professional trainers, the instinct to explore and curiosity are significant factors that drive improvement in strength.
"Let's set off, then," Fang Yuan couldn't help but say.
"Alright, let's not keep the Prince of the Sea waiting. I'll make arrangements, and then we'll set off," said Master Zhang Yuhai.
In five minutes, Master Zhang Yuhai mobilized the resources of the association and secured the marine arena.
In just a short time, this marine arena became the most important place in Binhai City, guarded by numerous professional trainers.
Additionally, as it was unknown how long they would be inside the Temple of the Sea God, the Binhai Association also provided backpacks containing food and living supplies.
"Let's go!" With everything in place, Master Zhang Yuhai declared.
At his words, the several trainers departed towards the Temple of the Sea God, each in their own way.
Flying-type Pokémon... Water-type Pokémon... On Fang Yuan's side, he directly called out Dragonite, jumped onto its back, and pointed toward the palace ahead.
Before long, seven Trainers had simultaneously entered the water curtain.
"I'm so envious... I really want to know what's inside," a Trainer sighed enviously as the silhouettes of the seven vanished.
What the Temple of the Sea held was a mystery to all, and what benefits one could gain from entering it was also unknown. However, it was related to Legendary Pokémon, so to say these Trainers were not envious would be a lie.
"Just wait," a Trainer said, shaking his head, content to carry on with the security work. Right now, ensuring that the temple was not invaded by outsiders was of utmost importance.
However, not long after Fang Yuan and the other six Trainers had entered the Temple of the Sea, the sea surface once again began to tremble.
The patrolling Professional Trainers, upon seeing the change in the sea area, were instantly startled.
Amidst the raging waves... the temple had actually sunk back into the sea again, as if nothing had happened.
As they watched the temple disappear and the sea return to calm, many Professional Trainers on the shore were left dumbfounded.
The temple... disappeared again? The Trainers that entered... they couldn't have all drowned, could they...?
...
"I almost thought I was going to die!" Yun Guancheng said with lingering fear, patting his chest as he looked around.
The others were also pale-faced.
No one had expected that after they had landed, the temple would suddenly sink like an earthquake had struck.
However, once they realized that the temple was waterproof, everyone calmed down.
Despite being submerged, it seemed the seawater was being blocked by the water curtain.
"Manafei probably doesn't mean any harm, maybe it has another purpose," Fang Yuan mused, recalling.
Now, the place where Fang Yuan and his companions found themselves was a broad square, like a water paradise with streams winding around. Under the reflection of the water curtain's light, countless fountains shimmered with multicolored brilliance.
The seven Trainers stood in the square, looking around. Through the water curtain, they could clearly see the temple sinking and moving within the ocean.
The best proof of this was that Water-type Spirits had started to swim through the water curtain, naturally coming to play in the temple's pools...
To know that the previous ocean battlefield had been modified and there were no Spirits active in that area.
In an instant, the appearance of wild elves meant that they might have come into an unknown sea area.
"Bwoo..." Eevee jumped down from Fang Yuan's shoulder, curiously looking around. This place... should be the outside of the temple, right?
"Booowoo!!" Dragonite looked around as well, scratching its head naively.
"Strange..."
Fang Yuan walked to a fountain pool and, looking at his reflection in the water, felt puzzled. Manafei isn't coming out?
"Where is the Prince of the Sea?"
"Haven't seen him..."
"Let's all search."
The three Masters also started to direct the search efforts.
Unfortunately, after a while, there was no result. Manafei was nowhere to be seen.
"Has anyone noticed anything unusual? For example, is there any particular place that's special here?" Master Ni Feng asked, puzzled. Beside her, a Blastoise was sensing the environment and shook its head. Inside the Temple of the Sea, it seemed the same as the outside world, with nothing particularly special.
The other Trainers' Water Series Spirits that followed them also nodded in agreement.
It seemed just like an ordinary palace of water.
"You come out and observe too," Fang Yuan said as he called out Milotic.
After Milotic emerged from the Poké Ball, Dragonite quickly flew over, patiently explaining the current situation to Milotic.
"Boowoo boowoo!!" Dragonite flailed its arms, introducing the temple to Milotic, but suddenly, Dragonite felt a chill, as if it was suddenly being watched by several icy gazes...
As it turned out, many Water-type Spirits, on seeing Milotic, were instantly captivated, love struck at first sight. Seeing Dragonite so close to Milotic, they were immediately discontented, and glared fiercely at Dragonite...
If looks could slay dragons, Dragonite might have acquired a Ghost attribute by now...
A few Water Series Spirits: (｀д′)
Dragonite: ๑乛◡乛๑
Dragonite paid no attention to them, even though the Blastoise and the Giant Tooth Shark looked quite ferocious, and seemed to be not weaker than itself. But Dragonite knew the principle of "the near water pavilion gets its moon first," and refused to leave Milotic's side, focusing on being a good guide.
And Milotic, the center of attention among many Water-type Spirits, remained poised with elegance, a thin mist covering its beautiful body. Its scales glimmered slightly beneath the water curtain, and Fang Yuan's Milotic was such a beautiful Spirit, causing the Water-type Spirits to regard it as the supreme goddess.
If there was one thing regrettable, it was that the mist covered most of its body. Yet, its beauty was not lessened as a result. Perhaps it was precisely the mist that gave it an even more outstanding, ethereal beauty...
"Mwoo~~~" Milotic hummed softly, conveying its feeling to Fang Yuan.
The Temple of the Sea was very ordinary, with nothing special about it, and for Water-type Spirits, it was even less attractive than the Lake of Purification in Combat City.
By this time, the Trainers had also noticed the changes in their own Spirits, seeing them instantly mesmerized by Fang Yuan's Milotic and couldn't help but be speechless.
However, from the Trainers' perspective, they indeed recognized that Fang Yuan's Milotic was exceptionally well nurtured.
"Damn, I get it now," Yun Guancheng said dumbfounded, looking at Dragonite acting like a Flower Protector around Milotic. He finally understood why Fang Yuan had so easily coaxed away the envoy of the Dragon Cave Elder and this powerful Dragonite with its astonishing flying ability!
It might not have been the food as he had previous thought that had won favor... but rather... the allure of a beautiful fish! Shameless!!