The second Manaphy hatched,
Lin Yu immediately knew something was up.
Manaphy had a unique trait: it would treat the first living thing it saw as its closest family.
And right now…
"Mana?"
Sure enough, the newly hatched Manaphy darted straight into Latias's arms.
It was a tiny Pokémon shaped like a water droplet, with two long streamers of water on its head and a jewel‑red mark on its chest.
Latias herself was still practically a child,
but she could clearly tell what Manaphy was trying to say.
It was calling her Mom.
Latias froze, staring helplessly at Lin Yu, not knowing what to do.
"Well… we have no choice but to go explain everything to Gym Leader Shui," Lin Yu sighed.
He never expected things to turn out like this.
Of all times, Manaphy just had to hatch right then.
But looking at this Manaphy…
[Pokémon: Manaphy]
[Ability: Hydration]
[Gender:???]
[Talent: Tier 1 Legendary]
[Level: 34]
[Moves: Surf, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Psychic, Light Screen, Flash, Substitute, Rest, Protect, Return, Safeguard…]
Truly a Legendary — level 34 the second it was born…
Tide Master Gym.
Lin Yu was explaining everything to Shui Rourou.
"It's fine. That egg has been with me for over ten years, and it never hatched. That means it was never meant to be mine."
Looking at how close Manaphy was to Latias, Shui Rourou shook her head.
"This Pokémon is no ordinary creature. It may not stay with you in the end."
Lin Yu knew exactly who Manaphy was.
The Prince of the Sea.
Its true home would always be the ocean.
"Come with me. I'm sure you're curious about where this Pokémon came from."
Manaphy was not recorded in the official Pokédex released by the Pokémon League.
The two followed the Water-type Elite Four
until they reached the room where the egg had been kept. Shui Rourou pulled out a stone tablet.
It was flat, covered in strange, ancient carvings.
"You know of the Ocean Temple, the SS‑Class Secret Realm in the sea, right?"
Lin Yu nodded.
He had heard of the temple before.
She spoke with a distant, nostalgic look in her eyes.
"Back when I was around your age, I was also the champion of the Guangdong Provincial High School Tournament. But I was arrogant and thought I could go anywhere I wanted.
I set out to explore the open ocean…
but how could a newly minted Professional Trainer like me stand against the sea?
On my first day…"
Lin Yu, Latias, and even the newborn Manaphy listened intently.
Shui Rourou told them how she'd sailed the seas, catching some strong Water-type Pokémon at first, with calm waters all around. But against the power of nature, even that meant nothing.
During a terrible storm,
she was hit and swept into the Ocean Temple — and that was how she survived.
She hadn't been alone.
Another person had been with her.
Inside the temple, they each received one thing:
she took the egg,
her companion took a crystal…
and became a pirate.
Now that person was the most feared pirate lord across the entire ocean.
They must have gained great power from that crystal.
And now they'd come to steal the egg.
"Later, after I became an Elite Four Trainer, I went back to that place. But the Ocean Temple was gone."
Shui Rourou shook her head.
"I've brought in countless experts to translate the writing on this tablet, but all they could make out was 'the ocean'."
"May I see it?" Lin Yu asked softly.
"Sure."
He took the tablet. The carvings were obscure, but their meaning instantly flooded into his mind.
We built the Sea Temple for the Prince of the Sea — Manaphy. It is said to hold mysterious power, able to command all Pokémon of the ocean!
But only the People of Water may enter the Sea Temple. It is invisible to human eyes…
"You can read this?!"
Shui Rourou stared in shock.
Everyone knew all Pokémon had emerged from Secret Realms.
The so‑called People of Water were almost certainly an ancient, lost human civilization from the ruins.
But this teenager had deciphered it effortlessly?
"I possess Aura Power. I can sense the emotions the carver poured into these marks," Lin Yu lied smoothly.
Many experts had already studied these ancient words and gotten nowhere.
His old excuse for Ye Rong wouldn't work here.
"Aura Power… how incredible. It's a shame the last known Aura user sacrificed himself, along with his Lucario." Shui Rourou marveled.
"Mana~"
Nearby, Manaphy was playing happily with Latias.
Suddenly, it scurried over to Lin Yu
and nuzzled against his chest.
"It seems it really likes you two~"
Gym Leader Shui smiled.
Lin Yu's face stiffened.
If she knew what Manaphy was actually saying, she wouldn't be smiling anymore.
It was calling him Dad.
After leaving the Water-type Gym,
Shui Rourou stared at the stone tablet and sighed softly.
"Sister… you must have known what this tablet says all along, didn't you?"
"Are you here this time to claim Manaphy?"
No one knew it,
but the most infamous pirate of the open seas — the Dragon Demon Queen — was actually the younger sister of the National Water-type Gym Leader.
[Purple Entry (Entry Duplicate) — Duplicate one Entry you already own. If the original is below Purple rarity, it automatically upgrades to Purple!]
This was the Entry Lin Yu unlocked in April.
A duplication Entry.
After thinking for a moment, he chose to duplicate Child of Water.
This Entry was bond-type,
and he'd given it to his senior before.
Unexpectedly, after duplication…
[People of Water] — Breathe freely underwater. Gain greatly increased affinity with Water-type Pokémon, and speed up their growth!
Child of Water had transformed into People of Water.
Lin Yu was surprised.
Was this the same "People of Water" from the tablet?
Did this mean he now had the right to enter the Sea Temple?!
Only time would tell.
But one thing was clear:
Manaphy was naturally drawn to the ocean.
As soon as they reached the shore, it played joyfully in the waves.
Its bond with Latias also grew stronger by the day.
And then there was the guidance from the Precious Pokémon Entry…
it was pointing out at sea.
A Pokémon with talent no weaker than Elite Four level.
Lin Yu decided it was worth the trip.
So, after passing the Advanced Professional Trainer exam in Qingshui City,
Lin Yu set sail for the open ocean — with Manaphy and Latias by his side.