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Here's the latest update. Hope you like it :)

Chapter 24

Seated on Kyogre's back, May turned to check that Gary and Drew were still following her. They'd gone under water a while ago, and her internal geography was thoroughly scrambled. She trusted Kyogre to get her to the Sea Temple and didn't let the others question her faith in her friend. However, her underwater ride had been much smoother than theirs, something she was pretending not to notice.

Considering the mouthpiece which she was breathing through, May knew that she'd been lucky to have the compact diving gear with her. Although, considering her past, nothing could really surprise her after her solo experiences in Hoenn and she had made a habit of considering all kinds of possibilities in her travels. If it was one thing her time in Hoenn had taught her was to always be prepared for anything.

Shaking such thoughts out of her head, the brunette was momentarily dazed by the beauty of the pokémon swimming around her. She could see Gorebyss, the pink south sea pokémon with its curved, serpentine body and purple sea shells; Luvdisc, the pink, heart-shaped rendezvous pokémon which were known to appear in the presence of lovers; Corsola, the pink and white rock and water type with its various branches chasing after them. Their colour weren't the only things to capture her attention—these pokémon weren't known to be seen in such high volumes above the water. Maybe she could ask Professors Oak or Birch to send her data on them, assuming researchers had found ways of observing wild pokémon extensively underwater.

'All I'm seeing is pink, there's even Luvdisc for the romantics. Is this place for little girls, or what?' Gary glowered through his mouthpiece, ignoring the subtle blush which filled Drew's face as his emerald eyes hovered over the Luvdiscs.

'Don't be like that, they're pretty,' May winked at the men before once again eying the various pink pokémon with a small smile.

'I think they're nice. Besides, there's a bunch of Chinchou heading this way,' Drew shrugged, his green gaze focused on the small blue antennae pokémon whose tiny white finds were propelling it forward.

'You would like the rendezvous pokémon,' Gary sniggered as Drew fought down an angry glower, fretfully glancing at the clueless brunette before them.

'It just reminds me of a few too many girls when they were eight years old,' Gary shuddered, also glancing apprehensively at his cousin, whose attention was caught by something ominous in the distance. He doubted she even knew the rumours behind the pink love pokémon, which was a shame. The auburn haired man felt disbelieving amusement for any chance Drew had, even if the pokémon was to indicate eternal love.

'What's that?' She whispered, furrowing her brow as she tried to focus her gaze in the distance. She didn't notice her companions struggle with their pokémon behind her as they neared the strange, glowing structure under the water.

Blinking, May saw the blue, spiral tower which was Samiya. It floated through an unseen current, its tall structure imposing on the desolate water around it. Feeling her heart lurch in anticipation, the young woman tried to ignore the familiar sense of home which filled her. She'd had a familiar nostalgia fill her when she'd travelled through Johto, but had pushed it aside as often as possible.

'Thank you so much, Kyogre. You exceeded all of my expectations, as usual,' May whispered before swimming off the pokémon's back, moving to reach the temple of her own accord, not glancing back to see if her friends were following.

Reaching the familiar floating orb which protected the temple from water, May continued swimming through it until she reached the neatly paved ground on which the People of the Water had once walked.

Removing her mouthpiece before pushing herself out of the water, May let out a light laugh as she breathed in the sweet, refreshing air that was in the magical temple. Considering how old the temple itself was, it was built with a technological skill that May hadn't seen repeated in many civilisations. She doubted even modern inventors could create a floating bubble of air the way her ancestors had.

She barely turned to glance as she heard someone else's presence near her. Noticing the soaked brown hair of Gary, she dismissed his attention before returning her gaze to the building ahead, wanting to enjoy the presence of the many trees and fountains which were self-sufficient.

'What in the name of Mewtwo was that? Don't you ever jump off Kyogre's back like that again!' Gary lectured through his mouthpiece, his anger somewhat diminished by the diving equipment, as well as his heavy breathing as he struggled on the ground beside her, his auburn hair lying flat against his head. He didn't even have the will to fight as May removed his mouthpiece for him to breathe the oxygen in the temple.

'I second that notion,' Drew's voice sneered, sounding equally tired, though it was also muffled by his diving equipment. Upon noticing May's mouth was free of any diving device, he hastily removed his own before flicking his sodden hair out of his eyes, creating a small splash mark in the pristine, tiled ground.

'What happened to you two?' May frowned, noticing their breathing was much heavier than hers.

'Well, Kyogre might have respected and accepted your presence, but our rides weren't as courteous,' Gary heaved as Drew growled, 'give me the pokémon of the skies any day—at least they don't fight you every step of the way.'

Hearing this, May smiled and promptly hugged both of the men, whispering, 'thank you both so much for coming with me to this.'

'Yeah, yeah, let's get on with it,' Gary scoffed, a slight blush filling his cheeks whilst Drew was rendered speechless, unable to meet her gaze.

'Come on, I bet you I know where Manaphy is,' May winked before rushing off, leaving the two men to struggle after her.

Walking over a quaint bridge under which a steady stream of water flowed, May smiled as she twirled around the rooms with high arches, intricate circular columns and fountains, all of them reflecting the light in the temple itself.

'May, wait up! How do you know where we're going?' Drew called to her, his voice sounding strained.

'Relax, I've spent so much time here in my sleep that I know this place as well as I do my own home,' May grinned back at him, stopping briefly to admire a rather large fountain. She didn't notice the doubtful glance he sent her back, nor did she see his apprehensive eyes flickering around the room.

'Hey May, are you sure they're here?' Gary questioned as he saw her place her hand in the water.

Sending him a troubled glance, she murmured, 'that's a definite, however, they shouldn't have the mark of the People of the Water so they won't get far.'

'Shouldn't isn't the same as isn't,' Drew murmured, gently squeezing her shoulder, though she couldn't meet his gaze. After all, the Phantom had already infiltrated this very temple once before, who could guarantee that he wouldn't succeed again?

Clenching her fist, May reminded herself that she had to stay strong, for Max, Manaphy and Jackie's sakes.

'Let's go,' Gary ended up stating, finding their moment slightly awkward to witness.

'It's this way,' May whispered, leading them to a pink room with a large, spiralling fountain at its heart, with a waterfall of water in the distance.

'Wow,' Drew whispered whilst Gary whistled.

'Yeah, my ancestors certainly knew how to impress,' May smiled as her blue bracelet began to glow. With confidence, she walked forward, the two men flanking her on either side. Reaching the waterfall curtain, the men were once again impressed when it parted for them, sliding through pre-allocated slots in the ground.

'You can say that again,' Drew murmured as May lead the way through the area where the waterfall had been, their steps echoing on the multi-coloured floor tiles.

Walking onto a new floor, May smiled slightly as she saw the channels of water and trees on either side of their path, leading to an impressive amount of steps.

With a jump, May rushed up them, gasping in surprise as she saw a figure hunched over, appearing to be in pain as they leaned on a short, stone pillar at the end of the room.

Recognising the tanned figure with the grey topknot, May gasped, 'Ship!'

The man, upon hearing his name, blinked slightly as he raised his face to see her.

Rushing forward, May let out a shuddering gasp as she took in the man's ashen face, as well as his frail body. Anxiously wrapping the man in a hug, she whispered, 'Ship, I'm so sorry! I should have gotten here earlier. What happened? How did you get here? Are your family all right? Is Lizbeth here?'

'No, I'm the only one here. Lizbeth is looking after her mother, there's no need to worry about them. I managed to keep him away from them,' Ship murmured in response, struggling to stand as Gary and Drew reached them.

'Well, that's a small comfort, I suppose,' May whispered as Gary questioned, 'May, do you know this man?'

'He's one of the people who told me about this temple' May grimaced as Ship struggled to remain standing, leaning profusely on May's shoulder.

'What's he doing here now?' Drew frowned, gazing upon the man's expression with confusion.

'I was brought here by the Phantom. He wants the crown, May, and he's not going to stop until he gets it,' Ship grimaced, wincing as he leant too heavily on one side.

'Not if I can help it,' May grimaced before glancing at her two friends.

'No, May, we're going with you,' Gary glowered, apparently having understood her expression.

'I can't just leave Ship here by himself, Gary. Besides, he's in no state to follow us, and if the temple's crown is stolen, I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to Ship because you were both with me,' May retorted, sending Ship an apologetic glance.

'She's right, one of us has to stay with him,' Drew interrupted, sending the man a wary glance.

'Drew, we're having a discussion,' Gary retorted before pulling the man away from May, who shared a confused glance with Ship.

After a few moments, Drew returned with a smug expression whilst Gary's jaw was clenched, glaring at the emerald eyed man.

'Come on, May. Gary's so graciously offered to stay with Ship,' Drew drawled before sauntering ahead of the woman, who blinked at the revelation.

Hesitating, May sent a grateful glance to the auburn haired man, who was scowling at their chartreuse haired companion, before placing her bracelet in front of the stone altar and following the steps that the Phantom had paced so long before.

With a grim expression, she saw a giant door appear from within the tapestry itself before running through the purple hallway revealed by the door, climbing up some stairs to hear the Phantom's voice laughing.

'Finally, it's all mine!' The Phantom's gruff voice crowed as May leaned forward, surprised by the blue bearded pirate's persistence. He'd already been captured for this exact crime once, so why was he so persistent? Didn't he remember the devastation caused by his previous attempt?

'Where's Max? What about Jackie?' Drew whispered as he leaned on May's shoulder to attain a better look.

Placing a finger on her lips, May focused on the crown, in which Manaphy was lying, appearing to have fainted.

'What's he done to you, Manaphy? Where's my brother?' May murmured, her sapphire gaze flitting around the room until she saw the familiar, dark hair of her brother, also concussed near a bound Jack Walker, who was glaring at the pirate with a venom May hadn't seen before. Behind them stood another man, though May couldn't see hi face.

'Ah, but I sense that we have visitors,' the Phantom's voice called as the man turned his burly body to glance around the room, searching for the two new comers.

With a soft groan, May growled, 'Drew, stay here.'

'What? Why?' The man hissed back, apparently as fond of taking orders as Gary.

'Because you'll only get in the way,' May hissed at the man, sending him one of her most reproachful glowers.

'And what makes you say that?' Drew huffed, crossing his arms in a clear sign that his pride was wounded.

'I've done this before and you haven't,' May shrugged slightly as their opponent's steps neared them.

'Using the Jack Walker argument, are we?' Drew scoffed his expression filled with disbelief.

'Touché,' May smiled softly, unaware of the black eyed man whose gaze was fixated upon them.

'Why, if it isn't the Sea Queen. With a different Sea King, this time, I see,' the Phantom's voice sneered, pulling the pair out of their discussion.

Sending Drew a moody glance, May stood and, dusting off her still slightly soaked clothes, walked up the steps to behold the giant statue filled with large obelisk like gems.

'I thought you said it's a crown,' Drew whispered as he stared at the blue structure in disbelief.

'That's what it's called,' May shrugged as she noticed the Phantom's Pinsir and Parasect glaring at them, not seeing the stranger rush behind the crown, hiding his face.

'Drew, you battle those two, I'll have a chat with the Phantom,' May muttered before turning her attention to the imposing man before her. Glancing at his widened eyes and giant grin, she had a feeling that any discussion with the man wouldn't go according to plan.

'So, have you started taking your vitamins?' May questioned, picking the one topic she knew the Phantom wouldn't suspect.

'What?' The man growled, his tone one of surprise as he focused his gaze from the crown and onto May.

'The last time I was here, Jackie told me that he thought you took your vitamins, which was why you were so strong. But then it was revealed that you just wore a strengthening suit and he was honestly quite disappointed,' May smiled innocently as she picked the barely conscious Manaphy up from inside the crown.

'What're you going to do with him?' The man scowled, eying her warily.

'Phantom, he's just a child. Please don't hurt him unnecessarily,' May whispered, her expression softening as she held Manaphy close to her.

'I don't trust you,' the Phantom snarled back, glowering at her sunny smile.

'That's a shame, because I trust you to do the right thing,' May responded, hoping the man didn't see through her lie. Sometimes, all it took was a little faith before someone else changed their ways. She was relying on that theory now more than ever.

'What?' He responded, his expression filled with shock before he started laughing heartily, apparently unaware of Drew's Roserade and Masqueraine fighting his two pokémon.

'You heard me, I trust you,' May smiled back one of her most innocent smiles that would have had Brendan running for cover.

The man roared with laughter before May placed a gentle hand on his arm, smiling, 'do you really want to ruin the home of not just Manaphy, but many others? Is this not the place that Ship and many other descendants of the People of the Water would call home?'

Hearing this, the man scratched his head slightly, almost pushing his obnoxious red pirate hat off of his enlarged head.

'You see, I've had dreams about this place since before I ever stepped foot here. Even after leaving, I've had dreams of this very temple, which I find beautiful in every way possible. When I'm here, I just love the smell of the air, so fresh and pure, and after seeing the temple from the outside, I just felt my heart sing. Do you see what I mean, Phantom?' May smiled as she glanced shyly up at the man, not at all concerned about the other listeners to her conversation.

'And what about my dreams?' The Phantom retorted, trying to remove himself from her grasp.

'Please, Phantom, I insist,' May beamed before dragging him out of the room, sending a wink to Drew and Jackie, both silently considering her motives as she left the room.

Once she was outside, she glared at the man as he continued to struggle.

'Listen, I've dealt with your kind before and I trust that you will see the truth of what you're doing before it's too late; your kind always do. Now, we've got two ways to go about this. Otherwise you admit you're incorrect, which I can't see happening, even if it will save me a whole lot of trouble; or I make you see just how wrong you are,' May smiled at him, leading the man past a stunned Gary and Ship, heading to a secluded room nearby.

Inside the room, to the surprise of the Phantom, was a large, blue battle field with a pokéball engraved in its centre. Heading to the left side, May gestured for the Phantom to take the position on the other end.

'You can't be serious,' Phantom scoffed before stalking to the edge and enlarging a pokéball.

'Oh, yes I am,' May winked in response before taking a pokéball and a bracelet from her bag.

'Please, as if a little girl like you could possibly take on my pokémon!' The man scoffed before throwing the pokéball in the air.

With a loud noise, a Sharpedo came out of the pokéball, causing May to frown.

'Well, I suppose this is bringing back a few too many memories,' May sighed as she put the bracelet on her left arm, bouncing the pokéball on her right.

'All right, Blaziken, take the stage!' May called as she twirled on the spot, throwing the capsule in the air.

Hearing her pokémon cry out its name in challenge, May's sapphire eyes gazed at her two opponents. First there was the Phantom, who was a renowned for his thievery and gruff anger. The second was his Sharpedo, a dual-type water and dark pokémon, its large mouth pulled into a menacing snarl as it called its name.

'Blaziken, I know you're naturally weak against him, but you can do it,' May called, clenching her fist as her mind began to consider the possible moves. When she had said Sharpedo brought back memories, she hadn't been lying.

'Sharpedo, mega evolve!' Phantom called before grabbing the tip of his beard, through which a key stone could be seen.

'Oh no you don't! Blaziken, beyond evolution, mega evolve!' May called, bringing her bracelet on her left hand before her face and holding it with her right hand.

Calling out in response, May's starter pokémon became engulfed in a light, his red Blazikenite stone lighting up in response to May's cry, temporarily blinding her sapphire eyes.

As the two pokémon stared down at each other, May suppressed memories of Team Aqua as she considered their opponents. Mega Sharpedo's statistics would be boosted significantly, and it had been quite a while since she'd last battled with her own pokémon being mega evolved, let alone her opponent's too.

However, she had to trust Drew to defeat his opponents and get Jackie and Max out of their rut. All she could do was distract the Phantom.