Alola. Melemele Island. Late Afternoon.
Calling for the Sea Temple, Ash witnessed how the structure known as Samiya had arrived, using its light-speed mechanism to leave its previous location. Beckoning it's King's call, it showed up at the beautiful Alola Region for yet another matter of urgency.
"So this is the Sea Temple?" Lana was amazed. "You have this all to yourself, Ash?!
"Not bad..." Kukui commented, having seen the Sea Temple before. He was in awe of its size.
"This is amazing." Burnet gasped.
"It's beautiful." Mallow put her hands on her face, her eyes wide open. The people of Alola chattered and marvelled at the ancient structure before them. Much like what they have in Alola, this was a piece of history appearing before them.
As the water droplets flew through the air, beautifully reflecting off the light of the sun, the two guards at the front of the temple would kneel, welcoming the arrival of the King.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty." Both guards would say, bowing down to Ash.
"Thanks guys." Ash approached, stepping foot on his temple. And once he was at the entrance, here to greet him were his subjects. The People of the Water, also known as the Samiyans. Walking through the gates as always was his Royal Advisor, Alo.
"Oh, Your Majesty." Alo walked out. "Good to see you again as always. Is this another moment of assistance?"
"Hey, Alo. Everyone." Ash looked at the Samiyans. "Yeah, 'm gonna need some help getting around this time, that's all."
"Your Majesty!" Rushing out of the temple was the young girl known as Enola, high with energy as always. Following her were the other young Samiyans as they were met with Alola's Shining Sun. "Guess what, Your Majesty! I found some cool rare rocks today! Look!" She held out her hands, showing him three shiny stones that emanated a unique, mystical glow.
"Ohoo! Never seen these before!" Ash kneeled to get a closer look as he and Pikachu had their eyes light up.
"Afternoon, your Majesty." Walking out was none other than the Sea Temple's Guardian, Safia, who had her hands clasped together. "The temple and its residents are ready to take you across the seas."
"Good to hear, Safia." Ash stood up, turning to face her. "We're heading out as soon as we're ready."
"Let me get a closer look!" Just then, Mallow, Lana and Sophocles approached the Sea Temple, getting a closer look at it. The people of Alola would also come over to explore, taking the time to marvel at this ancient temple.
Not only that, but the People of the Water would walk out, setting foot on land as they felt Alola's hot sands. They've been to Alola before when the Sea Temple was travelling across the world as always, but they've only viewed it from within their temple. Now, they were deciding to step out and explore for a little while.
"So are those Samiyans?" Lana questioned as she and the others looked at the people walking out of the temple. It would be the Samiyans first contact with Alolans other than Ash and his friends. Most of the time, they mainly see other ponies, Pokemon across the world and occassionally humans in other regions but only at Port Towns or beaches. Such as right now with Hau'oli Beach.
"The People of the Water." Kukui spoke. "I've heard stories about them before. To think they actually exist and I'm seeing them right now."
"You already knew Ash was the King of the Sea not too long ago. All that publicity made you aware." Burnet nudged her husband. "And this is what surprises you?"
"I guess..." Kukui chuckled.
"Ah. Alola. This region does remind us of our own Sea Temple." Alo basked in the sunlight, his eyes closed.
"You should try the food here sometime, Alo. It's awesome!" Ash recommended.
"If Your Majesty says so, then I'd love to try it out." Alo chuckled with his beard and moustache wiggling.
"Oh, yeah! You gotta try it." Ash grinned, pointing his thumb at a nearby restaurant. "They make some awesome malasadas here."
"You might be right about the familiarity part, Royal Advisor Alo." Safia spoke when stepping forward. "While not vital or massive, Alola does have some history with Samiya. The Sea Temple itself has visited this region before. But, it was centuries ago. Just days before I was even born."
"D-Did you say centuries?!" Olivia gasped.
"That's correct. Everyone from the Sea Temple, including myself are centuries old. We, the People of the Water once sealed ourselves in our own temple for its safety. More centuries passed and after his majesty showed up to save it, becoming the King of the Sea, our bodies were freed just 10 years later." Safia explained. "Although, I was sealed even before that."
"So this girl is..." Lana looked at Enola plus the other children.
"That's right! I'm your senior!" Enola boasted, putting her hands on her waist. "I'm actually way, way, way older than all of you combined! You're standing in the presence of a senior, so bow down before me, mortals!"
"Don't get carried away, Enola." Her older brother Adriel would palm the top of her head.
"Hoooh...You all look good for your age!" Olivia gawked.
"Oh, stop it!" One of the Samiyans giggled at Olivia's compliment..
"I have to admit, this place has a lot of similarities to our own. But the weather is much hotter." A Samiyan spoke, walking alongside a young Alolan.
"Is that right?" He responded. "You know, you kinda look like my uncle. I have no idea why. It's a weird coincidence."
"You remind me of my son." The Samiyan said, scratching his hair.
"You're got eyebrows just like mine!" An Alolan child said to a Samiyan.
"Hahahaha! Your eyes are just like mine too!" A Samiyan would respond. This would occur for many of the Alolans and Samiyans, sharing resemblances with each other. Each of them would point out how much they resembled one another, even down to their physical features.
It was strange indeed. Some of them even had similar hairstyles, speech patterns, the same way they walk, even down to their voices and accents. Kukui observed all of this along with Twilight as something was brewing in their heads.
"Hm. Do you think some of the people from the Alola are descendants from the Samiyans?" Twilight questioned, thinking the same thing as Kukui.
"I was just about to ask you that." Kukui smirked while responding. "The stories I heard about the Sea Temple are short but one of them involved the Temple appearing here at Alola for one day and one night only. It's said that our own ancestors came across the temple and made an impression but that's all we got."
"Hm. Have I seen this temple before?" Walking over to the Sea Temple was Lena, who was also a relic of the past. While she wasn't centuries old like the Samiyans, she did come from the same era. Seeing the temple was like a blast from the past for her, reminding her of the ancient locations she's visited during her own journey across the world. "Maybe. Maybe not actually."
"Oh! Y-You look just like His Majesty!" Alo would be the first to see Lena, getting a look at her. All the other Samiyans and Alolans would stop talking when seeing the woman who was the spitting image of the King.
"Whoa...Is that his sister?" One of the Samiyans whispered.
"Or his Auntie?" Enola whispered to the others.
"It can't be his mother. We already know who and what his mother looks like." Another Samiyan whispered back.
"This here's my ultra-great and very far ancestor! Grandma Lena!" Ash introduced while Pikachu outstretched his arms to show Lena's resemblance to him.
"Pika!"
"Hello there." Lena waved gently as they all got a better look at her.
"Grandma Lena?!" All the Samiyans repeated, being amazed. Realizing they were standing in the presence of their King's other relative, they would all rush over, stopping what they were doing to pay their respects.
"His Majesty's grandmother? What a pleasure to meet you." Alo bowed to her.
"Please, stand." Lena waved her hands, feeling flustered. "It's no big deal. Really."
"Grandma's helping us long the way. There's one thing I want you all to help me out with. It's my friend, Twilight. The other Twilight, I mean. She's gone with someone named Volo. We don't know where they're going, but we're gonna use the Sea Temple to go looking for her. Can you guys do that for me?"
"Your Majesty. You know that is not a problem. Whatever the issue, we are more than willing to lend you our support. We will find her for you, no matter how far she may be. With the Sea Temple, we can travel the seas at lovable speeds."
"Then let's not waste any time. Everyone, board the Sea Temple. We're leaving as soon as we're ready!" Ash declared, raising his fist while looking back at his pony friends. "Pinkie. Are your Slurpuff doing okay?"
"All 6!" Pinkie's Poke Balls were in her hair. All 6 contained a Slurpuff.
"Great. If we're gonna look for Twilight, we'll need to have a good scent. But before we start searching..Rarity. Pinkie. Twilight. You said you wanted to visit the Pokemon Center, right?"
"Of course! I have to tell Pheromosa as soon as possible and see how she's doing!" Rarity nodded.
"And my Kartana." Twilight agreed. "I hope he's in good spirits as always."
"I really wanna see Mew again!" Pinkie Pie would bounce on the spot, missing her partner.
"I'd say let's stop by there first. We can take a ride on the Sea Temple to reach Unova and see how they're doing." Ash suggested. "Let's get rolling."
With that, the group that would go on this mission would step forward, preparing to enter the Sea Temple. Ash would look back at his friends from Alola as they immediately gave them their farewells and best wishes.
"Best Wishes to you all!" Mallow called.
"Safe travels as always! Make sure you find a Kyogre out there while you're at it!" Lana shouted. "It's a big sea out of the after all and Kyogre's big too!"
"Oh, Kyogre is sometimes with us when needed." Alo casually said, stunning Lana.
"What?!"
"Ash!" Burnet yelled out. "Make sure you come and see our movie when you're done! You might not be there for when it releases but you can still watch it! We'll send you a copy when we're done! Promise!"
"Alright, Burnet. Thanks a lot." Ash waved, heading inside the temple.
"And take care out there!" Kukui added while the little Baby Lei would flail his arms, trying to reach Ash.
"Are you three coming." Before she could fully enter, Lena looked back at Team Rocket, who had not moved an inch. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you three coming with us? We always work together after all.
"R-Right!" Team Rocket, still wearing disguises would stutter, immediately tailing after Lena. That would be extra help on this mission as now Team Rocket would be teaming up with Ash and his group. Not the first time it's happened. It seems that whenever there's something that opposes both of them, they always come together.
The Sea Temple. Samiya.
Sneaking on board were the five students of the Pokemon School. They were doing their best to stay low while moving through the halls. They were lucky enough to have the Sea Temple pass by their homes and with no one looking, the five students managed to sneak in undetected, aiming to do one quick thing.
"If I had known that's what a cameo was, I wouldn't have been in it." Gallus spoke, holding a camera in his grasp. "Even if the film's finished, I wanna have a longer scene."
"Same here." Smolder was of the same mind. "Let's film something in the Sea Temple. That'll make everyone glued to the screen."
"I don't think we should be in here right now." Sandbar spoke. "We can just live with the small cameo we have, can't we?
"And Yona is already the star. Yona has all the screentime." Yona spoke, having her eyes sparkle. "And Yona is grateful for that."
"Bah." Smolder dismissed it. "No way I'm passing up on this opportunity. Just look at this place. It's so huge..."
"Well, if you're gonna film it, make it quick. The Temple might leave at any moment. And the King will probably have us thrown off." Ocellus spoke, looking around and seeing the architecture of the temple. It was all beautiful to see, but she did feel bad for sneaking in here without permission.
"Ash won't throw us off." Gallus scoffed. "Isn't he like really great friends with your Queen? She even has a crush on him. We'll be fine."
"But we are breaking in and filming without permission." Sandbar brought up. "If they catch us, we'll-"
Right on cue, the Temple started moving. As the structure was leaving, it caused the waves to form and crash, making a small wave. All the Alolans would gasp and cheer, happy that the Temple was leaving the shores and heading out. Too late to leave now. The Temple was on the move.
"Oh, man. I knew it." Sandbar sighed, knowing the situation they were in. "Why'd I even follow you all in here!"
"Awesome. Now we can take our time." Gallus said, looking at the bright side. "We might even get more sights this way."
"It won't matter if it's not added into the movie." Smolder crossed her arms, grumbling. "That's a bummer."
"Duh. We could just make a short video." Gallus suggested. "We have the tools for it, right? Just film the sights and maybe we'll get some good stuff to show later."
"We're in so much trouble..." Ocellus ducked her head down. Once more, she has been roped into a mess such as this and was fearng the worst. But a part of her knew that Ash wouldn't mind at all. Then again, if someone other than Ash finds her, it might be the opposite.
"Let's explore and see what we can find!" Smolder would run off while Gallus followed, eager to explore and take in the sights. Sandbar and Yona would look at each other, feeling a sense of dread while Ocellus just stayed behind, unsure of how to proceed.
"Hey, hey! Over here!" As the Temple was moving across the waters, the five students would go on a search for the perfect angle and view to capture. In a certain hallway, the view from the window was perfect.
"Woah." Smolder was amazed by the sights outside. From the sea below and the clouds above, the scenery was a breathtaking one. And she wasn't the only one. The others also stopped when seeing this view, finding it absolutely astonishing.
"Wow..." Ocellus gasped, seeing the view from the window., seeing some Flying-Types zoom by in unique flying patterns.
"The view is wonderful. So many clouds." Sandbar said, taking the sight in. Looking at this made them almost not care about their little mission. But it hasn't even been that long, so Sandbar shook his head. "Wait! What about School?! And our parents?!"
"Don't worry." Smolder placed her hands on his shoulders. "They won't notice. Trust me. Our parents are pretty lenient with us, so they'll be fine. And I bet the others at the school won't miss us either."
"Ohooo!" Meanwhile, for Lena, this was her first time being inside the Sea Temple. Her first experience and she was already loving it. "It's amazing! How did I miss this during my travels?!
She was at the main hall of the temple. The Main Hall of the Sea Temple Samiya stood as a majestic monument to the temple's rich heritage and spiritual significance. Carved from the coral bedrock and adorned with luminescent marine motifs, the Main Hall serves as the heart of the temple.
Tall pillars, reminiscent of towering sea stacks, rise from the floor to the ceiling, supporting the vaulted ceiling adorned with intricate mosaics depicting scenes from ancient sea myths and legends. Stained glass windows, crafted from translucent sea glass, filter the sunlight, casting kaleidoscopic patterns of colour onto the marble floor below.
Beneath the vaulted ceiling, a series of cascading waterfalls flow down the walls, their crystalline waters shimmering in the ambient light. The soothing sound of cascading water fills the hall, creating an atmosphere of tranquillity and reverence.
In the centre of the hall, a large, circular dais rises from the floor, serving as a focal point. On the dais, a large statue of Manaphy stands, its eyes seeming to gaze upon all who enter the hall. The statue is surrounded by a pool of water, the source of the cascading waterfalls.
"Man. When did you guys build this?" Ash looked at the Manaphy Statue which was actually new. Very much new. It even had colours on it that matched the Pokemon it was based on.
"Pikachu?"
"I'd say...Last Week, Your Majesty. Manaphy already has his own Statue next to yours at the throne room, but he vehemently wanted another Statue of himself for the main hall." Alo answered.
"Your Majesty. The recharge time on our Light Speed Mechanism will take a while. Until then, we'll have to travel slowly."
"That's fine." Ash responded, not minding the slow pace. As long as the Sea Temple was moving, that was all he cared about. He then looked at Pinkie Pie, who already sent each of her Slurpuff out. "So, where do you think she is, Pinkie?"
"It looks like the Slurpuff are all sniffing to the South." Pinkie Pie spoke, having the Slurpuffs sniff the air. "That's probably where she is."
"South it is. After we're done in Unova, we'll head there. I'll try and talk to Twilight and mend things with her and Sunset. Plus, we'll get some of the shards too along the way. Maybe." Ash clenched his hand, vowing to resolve all of this.
"What about Midnight Sparkle and Daydream Shimmer? Carlita told you about what happened and you told us that those two are now their own beings. Just like what happened with Nightmare Moon." Twilight questioned. "Are they going to be trouble now?"
"Hm. I dunno." Ash answered, looking at the clear blue skies. "Midnight's gonna be a problem but Daydream? It sounded like she was acting on anger when chasing after her. But I don't think she's the type to cause problems. As for what they're doing right now...I don't have a clue."
They only had to wonder right now until they get something. For now, they would move across the seas of the world once more, focused on their current mission.
"Wait for us, Twilight."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 459 End.