"Manaphy!!"
Watching the adorable blue Pokémon peeking shyly from behind the reef, studying him with such timid curiosity, Caster could barely contain his excitement.
Manaphy was finally willing to show itself!
This was the Prince of the Sea, the mythical Pokémon Manaphy!
Fighting to keep his composure, Caster tried his best to appear nonchalant as he introduced himself in a warm, friendly tone: "Hello, Manaphy. My name is Caster."
After scrutinizing him carefully for a few moments, Manaphy finally mustered the courage to swim out from behind the reef. But it still stayed in the water, too nervous to come ashore.
Still, Manaphy waved its little arms and gave Pichu and Gyarados a sweet smile, as if apologizing for the earlier prank.
Gyarados and Pichu both stared at this strange Pokémon they'd never seen before.
Though Gyarados was still a bit annoyed, sensing the sacred aura radiating from Manaphy, it had no desire for revenge whatsoever.
Instead, a protective instinct welled up inside it, a feeling that it needed to watch over this creature.
Seeing how shy Manaphy was, social butterfly Pichu immediately bounced forward, doing funny tricks and chattering away with cheeky little quips that made Manaphy giggle uncontrollably.
Just like that, the awkward tension dissolved instantly.
Then Pichu hopped onto Caster's shoulder and pointed at Manaphy, squeaking urgently: "Pichu~."
Translation: Hurry up and use an Energy Orb! Give our new friend a proper welcome!
"Right away, right away!"
Caster snapped out of his daze, first giving Pichu a subtle thumbs-up, then quickly activating an Energy Orb and channeling it toward Manaphy.
"Mana?"
"Mana!!"
Despite being a mythical Pokémon, Manaphy wasn't all that different from ordinary Pokémon.
Under the nourishment of the Energy Orb, it quickly melted into bliss, swaying dreamily in the water.
Before long, the Energy Orb was depleted. Manaphy's eyes cleared, but now it looked at Caster with even deeper curiosity.
Seeing this, Caster was about to step forward and try to communicate with Manaphy when Pichu suddenly jumped back onto his head, this time slapping him twice on the skull in protest.
The little Pichu planted its paws on its hips and launched into an indignant tirade.
Are you kidding me?
Just one Energy Orb?
What if the wild Pokémon see that? They'll think we're being super cheap!
Three more! Right now!
Three per Pokémon!
What were you thinking?!
"Right, right, you're absolutely right!!"
Though he'd just been scolded by Pichu, Caster accepted the criticism with total humility.
He immediately activated several more Energy Orbs and distributed them to Gyarados, Pichu, and Manaphy.
All three Pokémon closed their eyes in pure contentment.
Meanwhile, Caster felt more like a waiter, standing off to the side watching them enjoy themselves while remaining on standby to provide whatever service they might need.
"Wait... why does something feel off here?"
Caster scratched the back of his head. He couldn't shake the feeling that the power dynamic had somehow gotten flipped upside down.
Fortunately, the investment in Energy Orbs paid off.
Manaphy seemed completely won over, and its relationship with Pichu warmed up rapidly. They were acting like siblings from different parents.
Pichu dove into the water and grabbed onto Manaphy's body, then waved at Caster.
Splash!
The two Pokémon plunged beneath the surface and disappeared, clearly off to play and explore the ocean depths together.
"Gyarados, let's follow them!"
Seeing this, Caster quickly called out to Gyarados.
Glub! Glub!
Following Gyarados underwater, Caster was treated to an entirely different world.
The seabed was littered with reefs and sand, all hidden beneath the waves where most people would never see them.
Among the dense clusters of rocks, Caster spotted Shellder clinging to the surfaces, opening their shells to reveal their bright pink tongues.
Besides Shellder, there were plenty of Krabby down here too, marching in groups across the ocean floor like they owned the place.
Farther out in the deeper waters, there were countless fish Pokémon: Remoraid, Goldeen, Qwilfish, and even a Wingull.
This scene was far more spectacular than any aquarium could be.
"If only I could catch Manaphy... then I'd never have to worry about fishing again."
The thought crossed Caster's mind, but he quickly shook his head.
In the world of Pokémon, meeting, befriending, and sharing moments with various Pokémon was already a blessing. They didn't all need to become traveling companions.
Besides, as a Seafaring Pokémon, Manaphy had the instinct to migrate all the way back to the Sea Temple.
It couldn't possibly stay in one place for too long, let alone come ashore and follow him.
Clearing his mind of those thoughts, Caster threw himself wholeheartedly into having fun, swimming freely through the underwater depths.
With Manaphy by his side, Caster didn't have to worry about being attacked by wild Pokémon anyway.
After playing in the water for a while, Caster suddenly had an idea.
He directed Gyarados to pick up both Pichu and Manaphy, then shot straight up from the seafloor into the sky.
As the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy was clearly an old hand when it came to the ocean.
It had even tried gliding through the air before; Mantine could do that much.
But flying hundreds of meters high like Gyarados, soaring through the sea of clouds?
This was definitely a first for it, and the experience felt incredibly novel.
This is what flying really feels like!!!
At that moment, Caster was riding on Gyarados's back, with Manaphy and Pichu perched on his left and right shoulders respectively.
"How do you like it, Manaphy?"
Seeing Manaphy's face full of wonder, Caster couldn't help but reach out and playfully poke its cheek.
Manaphy didn't refuse. Everything just felt natural.
By evening, the three Pokémon, one large and two small, were all tired out from playing.
Gyarados coiled up on the beach for a quick rest, while Manaphy and Pichu leaned against its body, leisurely watching the beautiful sunset on the horizon. Everything felt so perfect.
"Ice cream's here!"
In the distance, Caster came running over with several ice cream cones in hand.
Pulling out a vanilla ice cream, Caster smiled at Manaphy. "Ice cream! You've never had this before, have you, Manaphy?"
Looking at the delicate appearance and vibrant colors of the ice cream, Manaphy instinctively shook its head.
After opening the container, Caster scooped up a small bit with a spoon and held it up to Manaphy with a grin. "It's vanilla flavored. Give it a try!"
Manaphy had never seen ice cream before.
It first glanced at Caster, and seeing him gesture for it to hurry up and taste it, cautiously leaned in and gently touched it with its mouth.
"Mana!!"
Manaphy's body trembled, and its eyes went wide as saucers.
Clearly, the little one was shocked by this strange new texture.
Cold and refreshing, sweet and smooth.
So good!
The more Manaphy licked, the more addicted it became, making happy smacking sounds with its mouth while getting ice cream all over its cheeks.
It looked absolutely adorable and hilarious at the same time!
Watching Manaphy act like it wanted to devour the entire ice cream cone, Caster broke into a doting smile. "Take your time. Nobody's fighting you for it."
Then Caster distributed the remaining ice cream cones.
Gyarados's was the simplest; he just poured the whole container straight into its mouth.
With its size, aside from Pokéblocks, everything else was just a taste anyway.
As for Pichu, it could have eaten on its own, but seeing Caster feed Manaphy, it immediately insisted that Caster feed it too.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Not long after finishing their ice cream, several Pokémon capable of gliding through the air suddenly leaped from the sea surface, calling out to Manaphy.
Besides Mantine, there were also a few Pokémon with blue backs, light blue bellies, and smiley-face patterns on their backs.
They were Mantyke, Mantine's pre-evolved form!
The Mantine in midair called out repeatedly to Manaphy on the shore, clearly urging it to come.
Seeing this, Manaphy's face immediately showed a sorrowful expression.
"Manaphy..."
Watching this scene, Caster felt a sense of melancholy wash over him.
He knew that the time had come for Manaphy to leave!