Pokemon: Radical Redux-Chapter 527: The Temple of the Sea - 5

Earlier, the Phantom managed to pass the ship the group was in. He would have tried to snatch Manaphy, but the submarine he was in got caught in a riptide and dragged him down to the sea floor.

When the submarine finally started moving again, he noticed he was already close to the curtains. However, he didn’t see anything around. He almost thought the coordinates were just some troll from that blasted woman meant to make him look like a fool.

Which, to be fair, he was, but he was also delusional.

Anyway, Phantom was about to call it quits and maybe wait there to ambush the group when they passed through the area. As he moved the submarine to find a good hiding spot, he accidentally ran into the border of the illusion and passed through it.

That’s when he saw it, the Temple of the Sea.

He could hardly believe it. He barely had time to laugh triumphantly as he drove the submarine forward and practically jumped out of it to look around.

As he did, he glanced back at his submarine, knowing he should move it. So he simply picked it up, which he could easily do thanks to his mech suit, and hid it inside.

After that, he ran deeper into the temple and found the room with the tablet in the center covered in strange symbols. To most people it was just gibberish, but Phantom had spent years studying this language, so he could read it.

It said he needed the Song of the Sea.

Which, again, he was prepared for.

He had a certain something, a flute. But this flute was special; it was another artifact of the People of the Water, made to copy Manaphy’s song.

Yes, he was very prepared.

With the flute, he played the Song of the Sea, causing the temple to come to life and the door to open. He grinned as he walked in, the entrance sealing shut behind him.

As he walked down the hall, he finally reached the end, and there he saw it.

The Crown of the Sea.

He could hardly contain himself as he ran forward and began pulling the crystals out one by one. There were so many, but then he realized the largest one sat at the very top.

He smirked greedily, so consumed that he didn’t notice the temple beginning to take in water around him. It didn’t even register in his mind; since the temple was already underwater, he assumed there was no way it could sink.

It was at this moment that the group finally rushed in. He could barely hear them over the rushing water as his hands gripped the massive crystal and pulled it free.

Only then did he notice them.

He turned and taunted them.

"It’s too late," he said coldly, "The Sea Crown is mine."

Behind him, another blast of water surged through the opening above the dome.

Ash and Brock reached for the Poké Balls on their belts. Pikachu wasn’t about to use electricity with water everywhere, but it prepared an Iron Tail. Vee stood ready as well while they protected May, Max, and Lizbeth.

But Jack raised his hand, signaling them to stop, and in this case, it actually made sense. If they fought, they could break the crystals, and the temple literally depended on them.

What didn’t make sense was Jack walking forward, stopping about halfway between the group and Phantom. He chose to talk.

"Phantom, stop. This place is meant for the People of the Water and the Pokémon of the sea. Put those back!"

Phantom slowly turned his head toward Jack and replied simply, "No."

Then, holding the bag filled with all the crystals he had stolen in one hand and the largest crystal in the other, Phantom lunged at Jack.

"It’s mine!"

But considering that Phantom was essentially a loser who had never really fought before, Jack easily dodged underneath him, reached around, grabbed the bag, and pulled it from Phantom’s grasp.

"Don’t touch that!" Phantom growled as he turned and leapt at Jack again. Since Jack was now holding the bag, he couldn’t move as quickly. Phantom managed to catch him, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him against the stone pedestal where all the crystals had once rested.

Jack tried to strike back, but Phantom overpowered him, and worse, the water was rising even higher. Jack attempted to speak, but Phantom was choking him.

However, everyone else was still there, and when had Ash ever respected the anime rule of honoring a one-on-one fight?

Before Phantom could mock Jack, Ash rushed in with a dropkick, slamming Phantom across the cheek and sending him crashing into the railing.

Jack fell to his knees, coughing as he wiped his mouth.

"Thanks..." he said to Ash, holding out the bag of crystals he had recovered. Phantom still held the largest one.

Ash took the bag and looked back.

"What are you waiting for?"

He didn’t even need to explain. The others immediately ran forward and began returning the crystals to their places.

Phantom grunted as he pushed himself up, still clutching the final crystal in one hand while wiping his cheek where Ash’s kick had landed. He glared at them with pure hatred.

"Give those back..."

Jack raised his arms.

"Phantom, don’t you see? If you take the crystals, the temple will sink!"

Phantom spat what looked like blood onto the floor as he glared at Jack.

"This temple wanders the seas, floating in the middle of the water. How could it possibly sink?!"

"Sink! Sink!" Chatot cried, flying frantically above the rising water. Apparently, Chatot wasn’t as stupid as Phantom.

At that moment, the glass roof above them cracked and shattered, and a massive blast of water crashed down directly onto Phantom.

He barely had time to curse before the torrent struck him, throwing him off balance and sending him over the edge and into the drain below, still clinging desperately to the crystal.

"No!" Jack cried, rushing to the railing as he watched Phantom get swept deeper into the temple.

At the same time, Chatot was hit by another surge of water, its wings becoming too heavy to fly. It began to fall, but Pikachu fired an uncharged Electroweb, catching the bird before it hit the water and pulling it back, where Vee caught it gently in his mouth.

By then, the group had finished restoring the crystals they recovered to the crown, but the water kept rising. The temple was still collapsing.

"It’s not working! Without the last piece, the temple is going to sink!" Lizbeth cried.

Jack gritted his teeth and looked back at everyone.

"You guys get to the submarine and get out of here. I’ll go after Phantom."

"Wait, that’s way too dangerous!" Max said.

"He’s right. The temple is collapsing, you could die," Brock agreed.

"Don’t worry about me. After all, I’m a Ranger. My mission was to make sure Manaphy returns to the temple safe and sound. Can’t do that if there’s no temple to return to," Jack said as he jumped onto the railing. He looked back at everyone, then at Ash, "So I’m going to do my job."

With that, he leapt down with a backflip, splashing into the water. As he did, he pulled out a rebreather, placed it in his mouth, and followed the drain in pursuit of Phantom.

Ash looked down and frowned. He already knew what he was going to do.

He turned to the others, "Come on, you heard him. Get to the sub, let’s go!" As he spoke, he grabbed Vee, pulled Chatot free from the Electroweb, and tossed the bird gently toward Lizbeth.

They began running as the temple collapsed around them. The water had risen to their knees as they pushed through the flooding hallways. Manaphy clung tightly to May’s arms. Max nearly slipped once, but Brock grabbed him by the collar and hauled him forward without stopping.

Lizbeth shouted over the roar of rushing water, "This way!"

The submarine hatch was still open, bobbing slightly inside the air-pocket chamber as water sprayed through widening cracks overhead.

"Inside! Go!" Ash barked, deliberately staying at the rear.

When they reached the submarine, Lizbeth scrambled inside first and immediately jumped into the pilot’s seat. Brock ushered Max in, and May climbed in next, still holding Manaphy protectively.

"Hurry!" Kyle’s voice crackled faintly over the radio connected to the ship above, "Structural integrity is dropping!"

Pikachu hesitated at the entrance as Ash placed his hat and bag onto him.

"I’m right behind you," Ash said, giving Pikachu a wink.

Pikachu understood that wink far too well. His ears fell, but he nodded and ran inside.

Before anyone could fully process what was happening, Ash grabbed the edge of the hatch and slammed it shut.

"Ash—?!" May’s voice cut off in shock.

From inside, hands immediately reached for the wheel to reopen it, but Ash gave a sharp whistle to Vee. Vee jumped up and fired an [Ice Beam] around the door, carefully avoiding the handle.

The ice sealed the hatch thickly enough that they couldn’t open it. Someone striking it hard enough with like a rock or something could break it, but for now, they were trapped inside.

"What are you doing?!" Max shouted, pounding against the metal.

Then May’s voice came, quieter, "Ash... don’t do this."

Through the reinforced window, Ash’s silhouette wavered in the rising water. He smiled again and gave them a salute.

"Get out of here. I’ll be fine, ’kay?"

Pikachu slammed both paws against the inside of the hatch, "Pika..."

"Ash!" Brock struck the ice with his fist, "Don’t do something stupid again!"

"I’ll catch up!" Ash called back, "I always do, right? Besides, this is such a nice temple, I think I’ll go for a walk."

The water had reached Ash’s waist now. Inside the submarine, fists pounded helplessly against the frozen hatch.

"Ash, stop it!" May’s voice cracked. Manaphy cried in her arms, tiny hands pressed against the glass, "Please!"

"Open it!" Max yelled, "We can still fit!"

The moment Brock heard Ash say the word walk, he knew what was about to happen.

"Ash..." he sighed, "Don’t die on us."

Ash only smiled.

Behind him, another section of the ceiling split with a sharp crack. Water exploded downward, flooding the chamber even faster.

"Ash!" Lizbeth shouted from the pilot’s seat, "You can’t stay! The pressure’s rising!"

Ash stepped closer to the window so they could see him clearly and placed a hand lightly against the glass.

"I know."

He turned slightly and looked upward.

At the far corner of the chamber, half-submerged and still blinking red through the chaos, a waterproof camera lens swiveled toward him.

Ash tilted his head and gave a small grin.

"Hey, Shep," he said casually, "You still watching? If you are, pull them in. They’ll be safe up there."

A moment later, the line connected to the submarine tightened, and they began being pulled upward even without Lizbeth touching the controls.

"Ash!" May screamed one last time, slamming her fists against the glass as his figure disappeared into the dark water below.

As the submarine ascended, Ash sighed and looked over at Vee, switching his ring to its Water Stone form.

"Ready for this, bud?"

Vee grinned excitedly, jumping up and tapping Ash’s ring. He began to glow, shifting into Vaporeon mode.

Ash smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out two items, a rebreather and the Dragon Scale. The scale glowed faintly. He had a feeling the object he’d found in Hoenn was connected to the Temple of the Sea, especially after Drake’s suggestion, and this practically confirmed it.

He grinned.

It was about time to let Horsea have some fun.

Ash flicked the scale into the water with a splash, where Horsea was waiting. The Pokémon caught it in its mouth before swimming off to prepare.

Ash fitted the rebreather into place and grabbed onto Vee as they dove deeper into the sinking temple.

—

Phantom washed up against the side of the temple where the flooding wasn’t as severe. He coughed, forcing water from his lungs, and wiped his mouth as he looked around.

He growled, "Looks like escape is the only option..."

Still, he had the largest crystal. He could always send his submarine back later for the rest.

Speaking of which, he grabbed his radio.

"Bring the submarine closer," he ordered as he walked toward where he had hidden it.

Almost immediately, Galen’s voice crackled through.

"Captain, there is trouble!"

"What?" Phantom snapped, glaring at the radio as if it were alive.

"The temple’s Water Pokémon are surrounding it, we can’t get close!" Galen’s panicked voice replied.

Outside, countless Water Pokémon had gathered, working together to keep the Temple of the Sea intact. Horsea and Feebas had already spread the word that the massive submarine was responsible.

Now they circled Phantom’s vessel, blocking any approach.

Phantom narrowed his eyes, "Then what are you waiting for? Get rid of them," he ordered, leaving no room for argument. He cut the transmission before Galen could respond.

He quickly located his submarine. Hidden would have been a generous description, it was merely wedged between several pillars in a side chamber. Now that the temple was sinking, it had begun floating again, though Phantom hardly cared.

As he approached it, he heard a familiar voice.

"Stop right there, Phantom."

Phantom nearly punched the wall in frustration. Turning, he saw Jack, and it looked like Jack had taken a page out of Ash’s book. On his way down, he had rallied several nearby Water Pokémon with his Styler.

Before Phantom could react, they all fired streams of water at once.

The combined force of nearly twenty Water Pokémon overwhelmed even him, knocking the crystal from his grasp and slamming him against the wall.

"Gah—you..." Phantom coughed, choking on water.

Jack lunged forward, kicking off the wall and grabbing the crystal just before the current could drag it into another drain. He clutched it tightly to his chest and turned back toward Phantom.

"You’re done," Jack said, breathing hard through his rebreather as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Phantom snarled, pushing against the barrage. His mech suit whined as he forced one arm forward, fingers digging into the stone to anchor himself.

"You think this stops me?!" he barked, "I found it. I opened it. It’s mine!"

"That’s not how this works," Jack replied.

With a roar, Phantom slammed his fist into the floor. The shockwave scattered several smaller Water Pokémon long enough for him to launch himself forward, boosters in his suit firing underwater in a burst of bubbles.

He tackled Jack midwater. The crystal spun from Jack’s grasp and began drifting toward a drain, but before it could fall deeper, a blur shot past and snatched it away.

By now, the room had flooded so heavily that both of them were beginning to float. As they struggled, Phantom held the advantage thanks to his mech suit, but Jack wasn’t fighting alone. Water Pokémon darted around them, striking Phantom from every direction to protect Jack.

And Phantom had another problem.

He didn’t have a rebreather.

The water level had risen to the point where he could no longer get a full breath each time he struggled upward for air.

During the fight, Jack finally noticed the crystal was gone. Looking around, he spotted a Vaporeon holding it carefully in its mouth before swimming away.

Jack wasn’t certain about many things, but something in his gut told him to trust that Vaporeon. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

So he focused entirely on stopping Phantom.

—

{Back up top}

The submarine was pulled back onto the ship, and the moment it locked into place, Kyle rushed forward, grabbing a nearby fire extinguisher. He sprinted to the hatch and slammed it against the ice, shattering it.

The frozen seal broke apart.

The hatch burst open, seawater sloshing across the deck as everyone inside stumbled out at once.

"Ash!" May shouted, rushing past everyone and running to the ship’s edge to look down.

There was no one there.

Pikachu ran to the railing beside her and gently patted her back, "Pika... pika..."

The water churned violently below, currents spiraling upward as pieces of ancient stone drifted toward the surface. The temple lights flickered faintly through the depths like a dying star.

Kyle grabbed the railing beside them.

"The pressure readings down there are going insane... that structure’s collapsing fast."

Max swallowed hard.

"H-He said he’d catch up..."

Brock didn’t answer immediately. He simply crossed his arms, staring into the ocean with a knowing frown.

"...He will," Brock finally said.

"Uh, I hate to do this, but we have more problems!" Meredith called from her station as she turned the radar toward them, revealing multiple dots, and one massive signal, "Someone’s coming!"

"It’s probably the rest of Phantom’s crew," Brock muttered, "Knowing Ash, he probably sent us up here to help deal with them."

"But what are we supposed to do? Ash is the one that—" May began, only to be interrupted when Manaphy raised its tiny arms and tapped her cheek.

"Mana!" Manaphy cried as the antennae on its head began to glow. Then it slipped from May’s arms and leapt back into the water.

"W-Manaphy!" May rushed to the railing.

Moments later, Manaphy surfaced again, and beside it was a Wailord, then another, and another. Soon, a small army of Wailord and Wailmer surrounded the ship. Manaphy looked up at May with an expression that seemed to say, Trust me.

May opened her mouth, then closed it. She wiped a tear from her eye and nodded, "Okay."

Then she realized she could help too.

She reached for one of her Poké Balls, holding it close as she whispered, "Please... help us. Just... help him..."

She threw the ball. Her Wailmer emerged with a splash.

Brock and Max instinctively inhaled, half-expecting Wailmer to blast May with water as usual, but this time it didn’t. Instead, it looked up at her calmly before turning toward Manaphy and the gathered Pokémon.

Together, the entire group dove beneath the waves.

Lizbeth stepped beside May at the railing, "Do you think that’s enough?"

May wiped her eyes again and nodded, "I trust Manaphy."

She looked back down toward where the temple lay sinking below and bit her lip.

Before anyone else could speak, Shep’s voice cut in over the comms.

"Well, let’s not just sit around. Let’s do our part too!" he said, slapping his palm against his arm, "Who’s with me?"

Everyone exchanged glances, then nodded.

They rushed to their stations. If Ash and Jack were fighting underwater, and Manaphy and the ocean itself were pushing back, there was no reason for them to stand idle.

—

{Back in the water}

Jack and Phantom crashed through a collapsing archway, still locked together, spinning helplessly as Phantom’s mech boosters misfired, launching them around the temple like ping-pong balls.

They smashed through another wall, briefly entering a small air pocket that allowed Phantom to gulp down a desperate breath.

Only then did they see Vaporeon holding the crystal. And beside it was Ash.

"You—!" Phantom snarled, bubbles escaping his mouth, "YOU AGAIN—!" he shouted, his words garbled by the water.

He shoved Jack away and fired his boosters straight toward Ash.

Big mistake.

Three Sharpedo immediately intercepted, slamming Phantom sideways while a pair of Wailmer unleashed massive bursts of water pressure that sent him tumbling end over end.

Jack steadied himself and looked toward Ash.

Ash simply gave him a thumbs-up.

Jack shook his head helplessly.

Ash pointed at Phantom, then looked at Vee. Vee understood immediately and dashed through the water toward Phantom.

As Phantom spun around to recover, Vee was already in front of him. He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into Phantom’s chest, right where the mech’s main battery was located.

As his teeth dug in, Vee used a quick [Freeze-Dry], flash-freezing the mechanism. Before Phantom could react, Vee ripped the battery free and crushed it between his fangs.

Without the battery powering his suit, Phantom couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t move, couldn’t swim, and couldn’t fight back. Without power, the exoskeleton simply wouldn’t respond, leaving him frozen in place.

Jack swam over. As a Ranger, he wasn’t about to let Phantom die, but he still secured handcuffs around his wrists before fitting a spare rebreather over Phantom’s mouth so he wouldn’t drown.

Jack looked back at Ash and gestured that they needed to leave.

But Ash swam closer and pointed at Jack, then upward. After that, he pointed to himself with his thumb, then toward Vee and the crystal, before finally gesturing back toward the temple.

Jack didn’t need words to understand.

Ash was going back to restore the crystal.

Under normal circumstances, Jack would have argued, but underwater, neither of them could speak.

Before Jack could signal him to stop, Ash grabbed onto Vee’s back, and Vee surged forward, carrying them deeper into the temple.

Jack’s hands dropped as he silently cursed. Looking around, he pointed at one of the Sharpedo, then at himself, signaling it to stay with him. He motioned for the remaining Pokémon to follow Ash and help him.

The Pokémon understood immediately and scattered, leaving one Sharpedo behind. Jack grabbed onto its fin while dragging Phantom along with his other arm, and together they swam upward.

As they ascended, Jack noticed the Water Pokémon all moving in a single direction. The depths were too dark to see clearly, but when he finally broke the surface, he tore the rebreather from his mouth and gasped for fresh air.

He saw the ship, and Phantom’s submarine rising from the water nearby.

"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me..." Jack muttered.

Everyone aboard the ship noticed him. Brock rushed forward, helping Jack climb aboard while hauling Phantom in as well. Thankfully, Phantom was already suffering from decompression sickness and wasn’t in any condition to talk.

"Where’s Ash?" May asked, running up to Jack.

Jack wiped his mouth, catching his breath, "He’s still down there. He has the last crystal, he’s going to try to put it back and save the temple."

"But what if it doesn’t work?" Lizbeth asked anxiously.

"Don’t say that, don’t even put that into the air!" Max snapped.

"The only thing we can do now is hope," Brock said, pointing toward the approaching submarine, "And make sure they don’t reach the temple."

"Then let’s buy him all the time we can," Shep called with a smirk, "If the Pokémon can’t stop them, we’ll do something ourselves!"

—

{Meanwhile underwater}

Ash swam through the temple, or more accurately, Vee dragged him along while he held tightly onto the crystal. The chambers were almost completely flooded now.

And honestly, as cool as gaining legendary sea powers might sound, Ash didn’t particularly feel like dying today.

So no heroic posing this time.

When they reached the Crown chamber, Ash wasted no time. He swam to the top, raised the crystal, and slammed it back into its rightful place.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the crystals began to glow, the stone followed, then streams of brilliant light burst outward, spreading through the chamber, enveloping the room and the temple itself.