"This journey to Almia has been successfully completed."
Outside the snowy plains, Aven sat down on an open patch of ground and let out a long sigh of relief. Beside him, in addition to his original Pokémon, there were now Darkrai and four Lucario.
After witnessing him successfully gain the recognition of the Crystal of Light, the four Lucario had followed him without hesitation, as their very existence was to guard the Crystal of Light.
Although they were not guardian-deity–level combatants, the leading Lucario was a genuine Champion–level powerhouse. Coupled with three King-level combatants, and supported by the overwhelming strength of Aura, their overall fighting power was not necessarily inferior to that of a guardian deity.
After all, not every guardian deity possessed strength surpassing the Champion level. Some ordinary wild legendary Pokémon were, in fact, only at the Champion level themselves.
It was a pity that Cresselia had departed at the end. Although Aven felt some regret about this, he could understand it—Cresselia did not like to involve herself in human conflicts.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
Lilligant sat beside Aven and asked what they should do next.
Having been away for only a few days, she was already beginning to miss the Sinnoh region and the Pokémon Domain. Comparatively speaking, the climate there was far more comfortable.
"No rush. This time, besides awakening Darkrai, I still have one more thing to do here on the Almia Region."
Aven gently patted Lilligant on the head, then took a mysterious teardrop-shaped gem from around his neck. At once, a dense wave of Water-type energy spread outward.
According to the information he had obtained, the Fiore Region was not far from Almia. He planned to go there and take a look—perhaps he could obtain news of Manaphy. This would be crucial for his upcoming ocean voyage plans.
As for becoming the king of the Almia Region, he was not interested in that for the time being. Perhaps once the Pokémon League became stronger, he could return to Almia to carry out league reforms. For now, it was better to leave everything as it was.
After a brief rest, he immediately set off with his Pokémon, riding atop Luxray as they rapidly dashed toward the coastline closest to the Fiore Region.
"Lucario, you should all return to your Poké Balls and rest for now." Aven took out several Poké Balls.
"Luca!"
The Lucario nodded, offering no resistance as they were drawn into their Poké Balls.
Darkrai, on the other hand, could float freely in midair using its own power and did not need to enter a Poké Ball.
At the same time, the energy waves radiating from Darkrai could also be used to drive away Pokémon in the sea, allowing Gyarados to travel smoothly across the ocean.
Now that Aven possessed the Crystal of Light, he could suppress the nightmare power that Darkrai unconsciously emitted, allowing Darkrai to remain outside freely and without issue.
"ROOAAR—ROOAAR—ROOAAR!"
Gyarados let out a thunderous roar, carrying Aven and his Pokémon as it swam toward the direction of the Fiore continent.
During this journey, Aven took out the mysterious mystic water, infused it with his psychic power, and carefully sensed any possible reactions.
In this manner, several days passed. At last, they could faintly see the outline of land on the horizon. A refreshing breeze blew toward them, mixed with a rich fragrance of flowers.
In the ancient language, "Fiore" meant "flower." Across the entire continent grew countless blossoms. According to legend, as long as a flower existed somewhere in the world, it could be found here.
"Lilli~ Lilli~"
Standing atop Gyarados's head, Lilligant spread her arms wide in a joyful embrace.
As a Pokémon of flowers, she held a special affection for blossoms and could even sense power within them.
The Fiore Region before her felt like returning home. She loved this unique sensation immensely.
"The Fiore Region really does seem like a very livable place." Aven smiled warmly.
Perhaps, once the population of Sinnoh reached a certain level, part of it could be relocated to the Fiore Region.
And as for Grass-type Pokémon, this place was undoubtedly extremely suitable for their growth. It would be an excellent choice as a natural Grass-type Pokémon cultivation zone.
Of course, for now, he had no intention of disturbing the local inhabitants. From a distance, he recalled Gyarados and had Gardevoir use Teleport to bring him onto land.
Not long after setting foot on the continent, the mysterious mystic water at his chest began to glow, pointing toward the depths of the land.
"Is Manaphy over there?" Aven took a deep breath, released Luxray, and sprinted rapidly in the direction indicated by the mysterious mystic water.
As he continued deeper inland, he discovered that he had entered the living area of the local natives. Compared to the Sinnoh Region, the indigenous people here seemed to live in tribal societies.
On some of the buildings and structures, he noticed familiar symbols—symbols he had seen in Marina City. They belonged to the People of the Water.
Clearly, Marina City had originally originated from this tribe in the Fiore Region. Later, for certain reasons, some of the People of the Water had ventured onto the ocean and traveled to the Sinnoh Region by ship.
"If there are People of the Water, then there must be a Sea Temple," he murmured softly.
He did not alert the People of the Water. Instead, he waited until nightfall to act. With the scouting abilities of Gardevoir and Lilligant, it was easy for him to slip deep into the tribe and arrive before a lake.
He looked at the lake surface in confusion. There was no sign of the temple he had imagined. Instead, the mysterious mystic water was now pointing directly toward the bottom of the lake.
"Could the Sea Temple be at the bottom of the lake?" His eyes flickered.
After thinking it over briefly, he did not hesitate any longer. He had Gardevoir wrap him in telekinetic energy, and his figure plunged swiftly into the water.
As he continued swimming downward, the glow of the mysterious mystic water grew stronger and stronger. At the same time, bursts of radiant light were also emanating from the depths of the lake!
Before long, a Sea Temple standing on the lakebed appeared before his eyes. It looked no different from the Temple of Manaphy in Marina City.
Evidently, the temple in Marina City had been modeled after this very place. Both existed to worship the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy.
Continuing to swim downward, he soon arrived in front of the Sea Temple. As he drew closer, the mysterious mystic water shone ever more brightly, faintly resonating with the Sea Temple itself!
Splash—whoosh—whoosh—
Accompanied by the sound of rushing water, the entire temple suddenly began to tremble.
Immediately afterward, the doors of the temple—sealed for an unknown length of time—slowly opened, wrapped in a curtain of blue light.
What entered Aven's sight was a layout similar to the one he had seen in Marina City. Upon entering the temple, he suddenly felt his entire body relax.
This Sea Temple possessed a mysterious power that isolated it from the surrounding lake water. Within its interior, there was not a single drop of water, allowing one to breathe freely, just as if standing on land.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Not sure if this is the Temple of the Sea or just a another temple like the one in Marina City.