//------------------------------// // Return of a lost civillization // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Samiya. The Sea Temple. Day. A shocking revelation had been made. The People of the Water were physically here instead of just being voices. And once discovered, Ash was the major focus as he was still the King of the Sea with Manaphy being the Prince of the Sea. Being showered with praise meant that Ash was due for some overwhelming attention. And it started showing. The moment everyone recognized him as the king, the concept of taking a break and free space was nonexistent for the meantime. The People of the Water offered to show their king around the temple and what it had to offer. "This way your excellence!" A lady said, guiding Ash to what seemed to be the centre of the Sea Temple. And at the centre, a throne room could be found. Huge braziers encompassing each of the eight onyx columns light up most of the throne hall and blanket everything in a warm glow. The tapestries depicting the kingdom hanging from the bowed ceiling dance in the flickering light while statues look down upon the stone floor of this luxurious hall. A sublime throne of azure crystals sat beneath two overlooking statues of both Ash and Manaphy, the king and the prince. The throne was covered in baroque marks and fixed on each of the front legs is a sparkling rose. The modest pillows are a light carmine and these too have been adorned with emblazoned fringes. "Woah! T-This is for me?" He gawked at the throne, running up to it. It was certainly built for him. Size and everything. "We made it and waited for you to sit on it when you would eventually return your majesty." A man went up to him. "It's fit for you in every way." "Well, it's awesome but I don't think I-" Ash couldn't complete his sentence as some people had already placed him on the throne. This was because they wished to give him some regalia. Ash was taken by surprise before decorations suddenly surrounded him. Ash had then received a robe out of nowhere along with treasures and goods for gratitude. He also received a staff that was instantly placed with his hand. Ash sat there with a poker face before receiving a fancy necklace made out of multiple gemstones, some fairly shiny shoulder pads, bracelets and more. "For you! Your High Honourable! Take our gifts of gratitude to their fullest. For bringing life back to our temple and people after so long. Ash was swarmed with gifts as it all happened one second after he had been placed on the throne. Pikachu and Dragonite could just watch as their best friend was being overwhelmed. "Thanks but this is all happening so fast." Ash chuckled. "I've still got a lot to say and some more to do." "But this is a celebratory moment, your majesty. You have returned to us and all we can do is thank you. And it is a custom here at Samiya." "Just Ash is fine." Ash sat up from his throne. "And about that...how did you guys come back? The last time Pikachu and I were here, we could only hear your voices. Even then, it was just singing." "Oh, that...You see, the reason why we've returned was because of you." A man pointed at Ash. "It was you that brought us back." "Me? How'd I do that?" Ash wasn't sure how he could just suddenly bring back an entire civilization in physical form. A head or rather a hat scratch was all he could do. "It was when you became the king of the sea." A slightly older adult walked forward. "The moment you saved our temple and claimed the Sea Crown to become king is when the restoration began. You see, no one has been the King of the Sea for centuries now. Without a proper king to emerge, the magic was stagnant for a long time. Until you came along." "Seriously? No king for that long? What happened?" "No one was worthy to hold the Sea Crown." Enola, the young girl that Ash had met earlier via a chase went up to him while still having Mareanie sit on her head. "Plus it was in too much danger all the time." "But you are the one who was worthy enough to hold it. After so long, the magic could flow and bring us back. Truly a worthy king." "Oh, man. So that's how it is?" Ash's expanded eyes were signs of being bombarded with this information and everything else that has happened prior. "So if stop being king...what does that mean?" "We return to the light within the temple. But, we believe it won't be like before. We, the People of the Water will continue to exist out here for years to come." "Glad you freed us so soon. I thought I'd be in there forever..." Enola pouted. Hearing that made Ash realize that the People of the Water, despite their appearances, are incredibly old. Including the children. Each of them were older than Ash and probably around the same age as Princess Luna and Adagio Dazzle. And thinking of that made Ash remember about his friends. "Oh! Luna! Everyone! Sorry, but can you find my friends for me? Most of them got caught up in traps when we were chasing Elona." Ash pleaded. "I think they should've found their way out of the traps by now...but this place is super big for them." "Anything for you, our king!" The People of the Water instantly listened to Ash's request no matter what. He had the highest authority here above anyone else. Even Manaphy who was the Prince of the Sea. "Uh, Ash is fine." Ash insisted that they called him by just his name instead of an honorific. But, their loyalty was too grand for that to possibly happen. They all scattered to find Luna and the others while Enola took the opportunity to speak with the king alone. Ash took a deep breath as he finally had some breathing space. "Hey, hey. Your majesty." Enola grabbed Ash's attention once more. "Or...Ash." Out of everyone so far, she ended up calling him by his first name. "How does another chase sound?" "You really love chases, don't you?" Ash sat back on the throne, looking at her. "Well, I haven't had any real fun for centuries." Enola swivelled with her hands behind her back. "I've been stuck being still for soooo long. Moving around again is the best thing that's ever happened to me. That's why I love playing chase so much." "I get ya. Having all the freedom out there is awesome and really gets your spirit going." He leaned forward with Pikachu running around with Manaphy. "Good thing I became the King of the Sea before Phantom could get all of the crystals. It's great to see that the People of the Water are back." "Mhm. But I want more freedom than this." Enola sat down with Dragonite circling the air, lounging about without a care in the world. She then started playing with Pikachu, Manaphy and now Mareanie. "What's past the Sea Temple, Ash?" "Past the Sea Temple? Well, the rest of the Pokemon World." He then sat up, removing his robe before spreading his arms out to emphasize the scope of the Pokemon World. "I can't even start since everywhere's so wonderful. Every region's so massive and I even just learned of a new region a while back." "Oooh..." Naturally, Enola was intrigued by this. "Exploring the whole world and seeing it is what I call freedom. You can go wherever you want. Come to think of it, the Sea Temple moves with the currents so you kinda do move around the world, huh?" A chuckle left him. "Only a bit. We haven't gone to the surface ever since you become king on that day. We were all still light." "Well then...Guess you've got a chance to see the surface across the world now that you're free. Maybe we can do without the Lunar Eclipse?" "Without the Lunar Eclipse?!" The blue-haired girl gasped. "Is that possible?!" "Sure. But uh...not sure if it can move up to the surface unless that eclipse shows up. You could also try using a boat or something to get up there." "Anything for you, our king!" One of the People of the Water rushed over, hearing Ash's words. "For you, we shall bring the temple to the surface even without the eclipse!" "Huh? Seriously?" "Of course! We only ever decide to raise and show it during the Lunar Eclipse. But years have gone by ever since then. If you wish for it, then we can make it possible. Perhaps, showing it in the day would be a change of pace." "Well..." Ash thought about it. "I was just kinda thinking about plus some boats really." "Pika-Pika." "Ah, but not to worry, your majesty. For you see, ever since our release, we've dedicated the new ages of our continuing lives to improve on what we have made. We have been constructing something that will allow us to enter the surface without the need of the Lunar Eclipse." "You have? How come I haven't heard of it?" Enola grumbled with crossed arms. "Busy work, young one. Very soon, in about a few weeks or less, we can move on the surface without issue. We here at Samiya are aiming to improve everything that we have done already and create new inventions." "I love me some inventions!" Ash's eyes sparkled as this was similar to how Clemont made scientific inventions that always marvelled Ash. "Right now, what we've made can allow the temple to float, but not for long. Give it some time and soon we will be flying with freedom, travelling beyond just the sea." "Oh! Oh! Can you show us something, your majesty?!" Some children even younger than Enola ran up to Ash. "Or tell us something, please!" "Yes-yes! Something!" "Something, huh? Well, come close. I've got a lot to tell you. But I also gotta warn everyone of what's coming." Ash's tone rapidly changed. "Just like before when me and my friends first came here, someone's after the crystals and maybe even the Sea Crown too." "Again?!" Someone shouted as commotion filled the temple with fears rising. Trouble was already coming their way and it hasn't even been a full century. If the crystals are taken again, the temple will surely drown. Just one missing crystal was enough to make it all come crashing down due to the raw power they exhibit. Ash knows. He's experienced it. "But you'll protect us like before, right, your majesty?!" A child asked with puppy-dog eyes. "I will." Giving pure reassurance, Ash patted the child on the head while giving a hopeful smile. "There's no way I'm gonna let anything happen to this place now that you're all back. You guys know how to defend yourself, right?" "We're already on it, your majesty!" Suddenly, showing up to Ash were the temple's guards. Every temple has a guard and Ash could finally see who they were. The set of armour they had possessed a squared helm with half a faceguard shaped like the eyes of an angel. Attached to its side are two huge wings which curve forwards. The shoulders are round, very long and large in size. They were decorated with tsunamis on each side, curved towards the sides. The upper arms are protected by pointed, half-covering rerebraces which sit loosely under the shoulder plates and the same went for the lower arms. Fittingly, everything was blue, aquamarine, azure and sometimes sky blue. These were certainly guards ready to protect. "Awesome!" Ash stood up. "With how you guys look, you're ready for anything. They could've caught up with us by now. They're pretty fast. I don't know too much about temple defending, but do you guys think you can use what you can to protect Samiya?" "Ever since our revival, we've dedicated ourselves to build defences that go beyond our cloaking device, your excellence!" A guard saluted. "Even us, the guards, are relatively new and made for the modern era. Would you like to see what we've made?" "Oh yeah!" "What about the story?" A child tugged on Ash's trousers as they wanted to hear what their king had to say. "Oh, right. I'll do that along the way." Ash could do both. Tell a story a see the defences that Samiya had made ever since that fateful day. Out in the sea. The Sunstorm. Afternoon. And speaking of that trouble that Ash brought up, the Sunstorm, despite being close to the Grand Equestria, did not pursue or attack it. At least not yet. Instead, the Sunstorm stayed on the other side of the island behind a massive array of rocks. They were already planning on heading underwater at the moment, but following them, this entire time was Pokemon Ranger Jackie, riding on a Sharpedo. "Thanks for the ride, Sharpedo." But his ride came to an end once Sharpedo stopped near the ship. Jackie had then hung on the side of the ship as the Brutal Pokemon swam away. "Sharpedo!" Now that Jackie was on the ship, all he was thinking of doing was sneaking to the Sea Temple with them. With special cups that allowed him to stick to the side of the ship and a trusty object that was given to him ever since the Ranger Union and Equestria had decided to team up. A Shift Stone. Jackie held out a small Shift Stone crystal, ready to use it. He thought of the appearance that he wished to have and so it came to fruition. His choice of disguise ended up being one of the guards inside of the ship. After becoming the disguise pony with the same equipment, he quickly used one of his tools for a quick entry. The pony he currently was had wings via being a pegasus. He used the wings to grab a heat pen. It was fairly tricky to hold something with wings but Jackie managed. He then used the pen, creating a wide enough circle by moving around for a better width. The pen cut through the ship like butter, making a visible hole. "Hot-hot...!" Moving through the hole after it had been cut gave off some warmth that was searing. Jackie quickly moved through the hole, entering the ship. But not without doing one more thing before being fully on the move. By using the amazing power of the Shift Stone, he retained his pony form but also made the hooves transform into hands. A bit of a disturbing sight that thankfully, no one was there to see. This allowed him to cover up his entrance. By using his wing to grab another useful object in the form of a hot glue gun, he then used his hands to carefully glue together the cut-off part of the ship. "Good as new," Jackie said after placing the broken circle on. He then made the Shift Stone return the hooves. "Many thanks, Princess Celestia. Or I guess I should thank Trixie for this." Now that he was in without making a scene or garnering attention, Jackie had the next objective on his mind. Get to the Sea Temple with the enemy. Jackie knew how to act casual as he strolled his way towards the most crowded room. And with great timing as always on his side. There, Spitfire and Tempest Shadow were already prepared to head underwater. And they would do so with the ships that could not only act as airships but even mini-ships for the sea. Truly versatile vehicles. "You know what to do when we get there. Let's make it quick and efficient," said Tempest. "The rest of you will handle everypony on the opposing ship." "Empress Daybreaker has approved of sinking that ship so don't worry about going all out or anything." Spitfire walked forward. "As for the temple, don't bother stopping for anything. Those crystals matter more than anything. Anything else would just be an inconvenience. I mean you would know about that...wouldn't you, Jackie?" "!" Surprised and taken aback for the very first time in his life, Jackie stepped back with his eyes expanding. He didn't expect his disguise to be seen through so easily considering that he had the Shift Stone with him. "How the..." "These magical glasses have a lot of perks to them." She adjusted her glasses. "Even seeing through illusions. No problem." "I could get me one of those..." Jackie uttered as he was soon surrounded. His cover has never been blown this fast. Usually, it takes about a month or a few weeks for it to happen. Jackie released the power of the Shift Stone, showing his true form. "Alright. You got me. Was hoping I could play along for a few hours." "We don't need him, do we?" Spitfire looked to Tempest. "Not like he can be of any help." "Not at all. But..." Tempest paused for a moment. "Empress Twilight does request that he's captured. Why? I don't know at all. She won't say." "I know why if you're curious," Jackie smirked, knowing the reason for it. He was glad that he had fully gotten under Empress Twilight's skin but the thought of escaping was on his mind right now instead. "But I don't think I tell you all of it. Just tell the Empress that we're taking things steady!" Then, with his incredible athletics, Jackie leapt off the floor immediately. But not before using the head of a random guard as an extra boost. Immediately after he started moving, they had pursued the Pokemon Ranger. Jackie reached an upper deck just by gaining a slight boost in jumping. Once there, he alerted the attention of other troops who were setting off to reach the Sea Temple. There, the ships that could transform could be found as well as the Pokemon that would be shot out of them via Poke Balls. "Jackpot!" Jackie found an opportunity as his Capture Styler had been aimed at a Honchkrow, Skarmory and Mandibuzz. "Capture on!" A light shot out at great speeds from his styler, wrapping around the three species of Pokemon. 2 Honchkrow, 4 Skarmory and 1 Mandibuzz had been affected. Now, they were on Jackie's side instantly. Once being affected by the Capture Styler, a Honchkrow had used Gust within the ship, firing it in the direction of the troops. Taken aback by this, the troops, opposing Pokemon and even their ships had been affected by this gust of wind that had grabbed them. They cried out before being spun around with parts of the Sunstorm being slightly damaged. "Apologies!" Jackie hopped onto the back of a Mandibuzz. "I'll be taking your Mandibuzz for a moment! Don't worry, it's temporary on captured Pokemon but permanent on Wild Pokemon. They'll be back before you know it!" Jackie and his new army of Flying-Type Pokemon then fled the scene. Mandibuzz had used Air Slash, blowing a hole through the walls of the ship which led to the outside. The Skaromory allowed for Jackie to gain some extra distance via Metal Sound. A horrible screeching sound replicated by scraping metal came from their cries in the direction of the opposing Pokemon since the move only affected Pokemon and no one else. Tempest caught up, hopping onto the back of another Honchkrow. As for Spitfire, she ordered the others to head for the Sea Temple while the rest go for Jackie. Tempest, using Honchkrow as a ride, zoomed through the skies with Aerial Ace for extra speed. By just using Aerial Ace, she had caught up instantly. Not only that, but Aerial Ace had struck a few of the Skarmory, knocking them aside. "Keep flying, Honchkrow," said Tempest before lunging off of the Big Boss Pokemon. Having equally as good athleticism as Jackie, Tempest Shadow approached the Pokemon Ranger from leaping at a great distance. Jackie swivelled to see the approaching unicorn. He put his hands out, preventing Tempest from hitting him. Afterwards, Jackie grabbed a hold of Tempest's hooves, however, Tempest had her magic active, placing a telekinetic hold on the Pokemon Ranger. They both had grasps on each other with Jackie's being more physical and Tempest having a mental one. However, Tempest displayed some physical strength as well. "Yeesh! You're strong, my little pony. You take vitamins?" Jackie winced as he and Tempest were locked in a struggle. "My father was an earth pony if you must know. I inherited some of his strength as you can see!" Tempest then added extra force to her magic which started affecting Honchkrow as well. "Mandi!" Mandibuzz had used Air Slash, attacking Honchrkow and the others while the airships were pursuing Jackie. The rest went underwater. Jackie saw the ships go underwater before he could even hitch a ride on one. Eventually, the struggle between him and Tempest ended with Honchrkow flying to the side. Tempest then leapt backwards, landing right back on Mandibuzz. Very soon, a brawl in the air had taken place between opposing Pokemon and the airships. And this view was not to be ignored. Those on the Grand Equestria had seen this from above, witnessing Jackie's current scuffle. Jackie turned around to see the Grand Equestria nearby before ducking from an incoming Air Cutter. He then leapt off of Honchkrow with a daring leap. Everyone gasped at his high jump but Jackie knew what he was doing as he took a good aim at the water. His styler was aimed at a passing Wailmer. Just what he needed. "Capture on!" The light travelled ahead with blinding speeds while Jackie was currently free-falling. After wrapping around the Ball Whale Pokemon, Wailmer leapt out of the sea, using its lightness to float. "Wailmer!" Perfect landing. With Walimer floating, Jackie landed safely on the back of this soft and bouncy Water-Type. Afterwards, Wailmer returned to the sea, making a fairly huge splash. Tempest watched as Jackie made his getaway while the air conflict was still ongoing. The Grand Equestria already knew that the Sunstorm was here so there was no secret to it. However, there was one other ship that was an issue that was on its way. The Plasma Frigate. Jackie quickly stopped by the Grand Equestria to speak with the guards. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I tried gathering information from them but it backfired!" Jackie exclaimed as Wailmer hovered in the air for a few seconds due to its lightweight body. "If I were you, I'd warn everyone else that they're heading underwater. The Sea Temple could be close now if they're heading there." "Apologies, Jackie!" A guard replied. "But a group has already gone underneath to the Sea Temple after discovering it. We are unable to go and are staying guard here." "The Sea Temple's here?!" Jackie gasped. And as soon as he gasped, the second opposing force had arrived. Covering the clouds and casting a large shadow was the main ship of Team Plasma. The Plasma Frigate. Jackie and everypony on the Grand Equestria looked up to see the now arriving Team Plasma. This created new problems. However, those on the Grand Equestria accepted it and were practically prepared for the worst to come. "Talk about timing." Jackie clenched his teeth, preparing for the worst. However, Team Plasma was not engaging with those on the Grand Equestria. Instead, the Plasma Frigate, while descending, chose to enter underwater. It was clear that only the temple was of their interest. And they knew that the Sunstorm would keep things occupied while they deal with events underwater. Samiya. Meanwhile, back at the Sea Temple, Luna and everyone else were roaming the temple, completely lost. Finding their way through this complex location was a hassle and something that would be difficult to get adjusted to. However, they ended up meeting back with one of their allies. Carlita could be seen approaching whilst on her Hydreigon. She had recently lost Enola after pursuing her. Carlita was lost as well, unsure of where she was. "Did you find her?" Luna asked. "No. Lost her. She's a slippery one. And I don't know where Ash went either." said Carlita "At least most of us are back together." "I can't seem to find Darkrai either. And this temple's many traps...there might be more we've yet to trigger. I'm worried. We might not complete our mission in time with this." Luna bit her hoof. Everyone was contemplating what they should do now. The best option they could tackle was finding everyone else that had been separated. But the temple was so grand that could take hours or even a day. However, there would be no need for that. Just earlier, a search team had been sent without Ash's command. Adagio and everyone looked ahead to see a surprising sight. The People of the Water were approaching at the moment, using the many travelling options within the temple. Some travelled with the water, some travelled on minecarts and some on small vehicles that were hard to explain. "Who are they?!" Adagio stayed alert with her magic active. So did Luna as both their horns were glowing. "They're...the People of the Water!" Carlita exclaimed, putting the pieces together instantly. Adagio and Luna then lowered their magic afterwards. The People of the Water then came to a screeching halt, meeting with Luna and everyone else. Mainly the guards went up to them, acting as royal messengers for Ash. "Are you by chance allies with King Ash?" A guard asked. "King Ash?" Everyone said in unison. "Oh, that's right. Ash is King here, isn't he?" Luna recalled Ash's story as Carlita couldn't help but be shocked by this revelation. "His excellence has requested that you be brought to him due to the separation. We apologize for the inconvenience." "It's not an issue." Seeing as this was a place of royalty, Luna acted like how she does in Canterlot, bowing her head. "We were all taken by surprise from the traps that are within here. Some of our guards and my friend have been captured by them." "Oh." The guards looked at each other. "That might prove troublesome. We're about to put all the defences we can for our temple before the attack that our king had spoken of. If we do not free them by that time then..." "Then what?" Shining Armor questioned. From how the guards were mentioning it, the result sounded unpleasant to the ears and mind. "W-We shall free them before the worst can happen. Come along. His majesty awaits for you in his marvellous throne room." "Since when was Ash such a big deal...?" Carlita whispered to Luna as they were all being guided by the People of the Water. Luna then started telling Carlita about how Ash once saved the Sea Temple and became the King of the Sea. But while she was saying that, one of the people looked at Adagio with squinted eyes. And more tarted looking at her afterwards. Adagio could notice the stares she was getting. "She looks familiar, doesn't she...?" One of the people whispered. "Just like her too...A bit bizarre especially with that size difference." "Got something you want to tell me?" Adagio glared at them, intimidating the people. "Ah! Apologies!" But they quickly ceased their gossip and conversation, continuing on their way. For them to reach Ash, they would have to go through many obstacles that the temple had to offer. But these obstacles were fun. Not dangerous even though the minecart and rails had some danger behind them. Either it was always like this or built differently once Ash became king. However, though they might find entertainment with them, others were here for something else other than that. Mainly Team Plasma, the Solar Empire and the Twilight Imperium. Far off in the distance, just out the cloaking device, they had spotted the Sea Temple. Spitfire's glasses were able to easily see through it due to its magical properties. At the helm of the Plasma Frigate was Colress. Finally, Team Plasma had caught up to the competition. They were all close to approaching the Sea Temple for one thing. The Crystals. For one crystal has enough power and light that rivals the planet. A power like that made sense as to why so many pursued the Sea Temple for centuries. And this story was just like one of those many times. An attack was coming while defences were being birthed as the journey continues. Chapter 614 End.