Chapter 4

The Little Guy of the Sea

A few days after their special rescue mission of the famous explorer Scizor at Blizzard Island, Team Poképals met with Corphish outside Wigglytuff's Guild's entrance. He told them that Sunflora had heard of a long lost place called the Surrounded Sea being discovered after thousands of years being covered in secrecy. Leon and Blaze decided to go in the guild to talk to her about its location. The Surrounded Sea was a sea located in an ocean far in the south in uncharted territory, encased in ice for many years until there was recently a break in the ice. The gap was opened wide enough for explorers to go into that enclosed sea, and rumors had surfaced that several rare treasures lay in wait for those that make it all the way through the Surrounded Sea's dungeon, which was located east of Blizzard Island. Feeling enthusiastic as always from news like this, Team Poképals made their way out of the guild and to the Surrounded Sea.

The dungeon of the Surrounded Sea had around twenty floors of water-type pokémon, which would be a force to reckon with for Blaze due to him being a fire-type. However, he had backup in the form of his best friend Leon, and two other electric-type teammates.

Once they got to the twentieth floor, they found three treasure boxes, and Leon and Blaze gave two of them to their other teammates to open for themselves later in Treasure Town. When they went deeper into the treasure room, they found a pokémon egg that was very different to the ones they have been collecting from accomplishing specific jobs from the guild's bulletin boards. It was blue around it, except in the center, where it was red.

"Whoa!" Leon began, amazed by the sight of the unusual egg. "This egg is unlike anything we've gotten from some of our rewards from the jobs we've completed!"

"I doubt if Chansey's Daycare will look after it, though," replied Blaze. "Chansey there is quite busy with all the eggs she's looking after these days!"

"I know! We'll take this egg back with us to Sharpedo Bluff and look after it ourselves until it hatches!" Leon noticed that the egg was shaking just a little bit. "Heck, it might even hatch tomorrow!"

"Yeah, Leon! Let's head home!"

The piplup and the chimchar, with the special egg in their hands, went onto the warp tile ahead of where the egg was to exit the Surrounded Sea.

When Team Poképals got back home to Sharpedo Bluff, they noticed that Team Go-Getters was already back from their exploration jobs. Ian, Charmander, and Chikorita noticed the blue egg that Leon and Blaze were carrying and were amazed by its appearance.

"Oh man!" Ian began. "That pokémon egg is unlike anything we've seen in Chansey's Daycare!"

"No doubt!" Charmander replied. "Even Chansey couldn't believe it if she saw that egg for herself!"

"Speaking of which," Chikorita inserted, "why have both of you decided to take it here instead of the daycare?"

"We talked to Chansey yesterday," Leon began to answer, "and she said her daycare would be at full capacity in eggs for the next few days or so."

"That's why this egg that we have here is staying at our home until it hatches," explained Blaze.

"Ohhhh, I see," replied Ian.

All five pokémon yawned at the same time.

"Well, guys...I think it's time we hit the hay for tonight," insisted Leon.

"Wait! We should pull out a bed for the egg to lie on until it hatches!" alerted Blaze.

"Great idea! Let's get a bed out!"

Team Poképals pulled out another straw bed underneath a drawer near the natural spring water, and they set the egg on the bed that was to be positioned between the two teams' sleeping areas. Once it was done, they said their good nights and headed to sleep.

The next morning, the five pokémon got up and looked at the mysterious blue egg that was sitting in the middle in the nest of the bluff. A few seconds later, it moved left and right a couple of times in an attempt to hatch right away. Team Go-Getters was startled from the movement of the egg.

"Whoa!" Ian began. "The egg's moving left and right like crazy!"

"That might mean..." replied Charmander.

"It's starting to hatch!" answered Chikorita.

They and Leon and Blaze watched as the egg emitted a blinding light from its body. Seconds later, it was gone, and in its place, a little floating aqua-blue pokémon appeared. It looked around for a few moments, before it turned to the two teams, who were awe-struck by its cute appearance.

"Hiiiii~!" the pokémon greeted with an adorable voice of a baby boy.

"Awwww!" Chikorita replied. "Hi to you too!"

"Oh boy!" Blaze said. "It's indeed a pokémon, but I've never seen anything like this!"

The blue floating baby pokémon attempted to talk, but he could only manage his usual baby talk.

"Awww, he's trying to talk to us!" Leon said. "What a cute little guy!"

"I wonder what kinda pokémon he is," said Ian.

"Since he might not understand us, being that he's so young," Charmander insisted, "we should go ask Chatot over at the guild!"

"That's a great idea, Charmander!" replied Leon. "He's full of intelligence, and he might know who this little guy might be!"

"Okay, guys!" Ian announced. "Let's get to the guild!"

Team Poképals and Team Go-Getters, along with the floating baby pokémon, made their way out of their home at Sharpedo Bluff.

Once the six pokémon got inside Wigglytuff's guild to see Chatot, they explained to him why they got the baby pokémon, and who he might be.

"Well, to be quite honest," began Chatot, as he and the others examined the floating aqua-blue pokémon, "this is the first time I've actually seen a pokémon of this sort. However, judging from what you've told me, this youngster appears to be a pokémon named...Manaphy."

"Manaphy?" said Leon.

"That's right! This youngster is an extremely rare pokémon, meaning that there only a few like him in the whole world. It is said to hatch at the bottom of a cold sea, after which the pokémon then travels the seas over thousands of miles. I should also emphasize that manaphy are very rarely sighted, and as a result, very little is actually known about them."

"Man, it's no wonder why this little guy's a really rare pokémon!" insisted Ian.

"Rare-rare~!" replied Manaphy.

Chatot turned to the two teams.

"So, all of you," he said, as they turned to him, "what do you intend to do with this youngster?"

"Hmmmm..." Blaze wondered. "Come to think of it...we really haven't given it much thought."

Suddenly, Manaphy started to cry! Everybody turned to him in alarm.

"Whoa! The little guy's crying all of a sudden!" exclaimed Leon.

"I'd have to think that he's hungry," insisted Chatot.

"What should we feed him, then?" questioned Blaze.

"I'm not sure..." Chatot answered, "...but because he's a water-type pokémon, you should give him some blue gummies."

"Great idea!" replied Leon. "I've got some in our bag that I was planning to have for later, but since this is a baby emergency, we'll give one to him now!"

He took a blue gummy out of his team's bag and held it out to a tearful Manaphy.

"Here little guy~! Open wide~! It's a blue gummy, just for you!"

"G-goomi?" the seafaring pokémon said.

He did as he was told, opening his mouth to eat the gummy. After a few seconds, he was happy again.

"Goomi! Goomi!"

"Boy, what a relief!" Blaze said. "He ate the gummy and stopped crying!"

Manaphy gave Leon a hug, as a sign of thanks.

"Man, guys!" the piplup exclaimed in surprise. "I think he likes me! He's so adorable!"

Everybody laughed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chikorita remarked.

"We oughta look after the little guy for a while," Leon said. "He's too cute to go with anybody else than us!"

"Awesome!" everyone but Chatot said.

"We'll do it, all right!" Blaze said.

"Doodit~!" Manaphy said.

Chatot had a concerned look on his face, as he turned to both of the teams.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea..." Everybody turned to him and listened.

"Why?" questioned Ian.

"This child is a pokémon that would normally grow in the sea. Being that this environment is obviously unlike the sea, and that we know next to nothing about Manaphy...who knows what could happen?"

"It wouldn't be safe to just return the little guy to the sea, though," insisted Leon. "Can we look after him until he gets a bit bigger? Pleeeeease?"

The piplup, along with the rest of the pokémon, had puppy eyes. Chatot gave it a careful thought.

"We promise that we'll look after him properly!" Blaze said.

"...Fine," answered a reluctant Chatot. "If you insist."

"You have nothing to worry about! You can count on us!"

Leon turned to his best friend. Both of them, along with Team Go-Getters, had smiles on their faces.

"That's right, Blaze!"

Team Poképals and Team Go-Getters took Manaphy back to Sharpedo Bluff with him.

When they arrived back at their home, they had a talk with the little guy.

"Okay, Manaphy," began Leon. "For the time being, this will be your house."

"House?" the seafaring pokémon repeated.

"That's right. House. We're all gonna look after ya, little guy."

Manaphy jumped up and down in joy.

"House, house~!"

Blaze turned to Leon.

"But, uhhh...what're we supposed to do now?"

"Goomi, goomi!" Manaphy answered for the piplup.

"He wants another blue gummy, silly!" Leon said to Blaze. "Our little Manaphy here's got quite the appetite!"

"Okay, then!" the chimchar replied. "Another gummy it is!"

Leon took another blue gummy out of his team's bag and gave it to Manaphy. He ate it.

"Is it tasty?" Blaze said. "Er...goomi tasty?"

"Tasty?" repeated Manaphy.

"Yup! Tasty?"

"Tasty~! Goomi tasty~!" The seafaring pokémon proudly answered.

Everybody around him had a wide smile.

"Awww!" Leon exclaimed. "He's gonna grow up in no time at this pace!"

Manaphy suddenly stopped smiling, as his eyes grew wide.

"Is something wrong, Manaphy?" questioned Blaze.

The seafaring pokémon began yawning. Next, he plopped down onto his bed and went to sleep.

"Would ya look at that!" Ian said. "Since the little guy ate his fill, he needs to sleep it off now."

"We better be quiet now and let him sleep," suggested Charmander.

"Good idea," replied Chikorita.

Everyone each gave Manaphy a soft pat.

"Sweet dreams, little guy," they whispered.

Suddenly, Leon yawned, feeling tired as well.

"Man, oh man...I'm tired too, guys," he said. "I think it's time for my own baby nap."

Everybody else also yawned.

"We're gettin' tired too!" Ian said.

"We barely did anything today," Blaze replied, "and yet we're already getting sleepy!"

"Might as well hit the hay early, then," suggested Charmander.

They all nodded in agreement. Everyone took off their items and bags, hung them on the wall, and they went to their beds for an early rest for today. Even though there was still plenty of day left, spending time with Manaphy and raising him properly was what mattered the most right now.

The next morning, the two teams woke up and looked to each other.

"Good morning, guys!" announced Leon.

They turned to Manaphy who was already up and eager to get the day started.

"Hi~!" he said.

"Good morning to you too, Manaphy!" Blaze said.

"Morning, Leon, Blaze, Ian, Charmander, and Chikorita!"

Everybody was amazed at how the seafaring pokémon memorized their names so quickly.

"Wow! The little guy called all of us by our names!" Leon exclaimed.

"That's awesome, Manaphy!" Ian said.

"Awesome~!" repeated Manaphy.

The two teams turned to each other for a quick discussion.

"Well, guys," Leon said, "what should we do with him today?"

"Eating and sleeping all the time doesn't seem healthy enough..." insisted Blaze.

"Maybe we should take the little guy for a walk to the beach!" announced Ian.

"Walk~!" repeated Manaphy.

"That's right, little guy!" Charmander said, as he and the others turned to him.

"Let's get to the beach, then!" Chikorita announced.

Everybody went out of the bluff's home to get to the sandy beach just outside of Treasure Town.

When they got to the beach, Manaphy stared in amazement at the sight of the sea. Absolutely enjoying the sight, he jumped in joy.

"Manaphy," Leon said, as the seafaring pokémon turned to him, "this is the sea. Sea..."

"Sea?" repeated Manaphy.

"That's right, sea," said Blaze. "That's where you came from."

"Sea, sea!"

Manaphy went around each of the pokémon as he said their name in great joy. He was really enjoying his time at the beach so far. When he was done, he turned to them again, as they laughed in enjoyment.

"Guys, Manaphy's really happy to be here!" Leon announced. "This was such an awesome idea to bring him down to the beach with us."

"Hey, Leon!" Ian said, as the piplup turned to him. "Why don't we go for a swim in the water so Manaphy can play with us?"

"Good idea, Ian!"

The three water pokémon went to the water, with Leon and Ian diving into it, while Manaphy floated atop of them. They splashed water at each other in pure playfulness, while Blaze, Charmander, and Chikorita all built little sand castles for Manaphy to look at for later. All of the pokémon seemed to have the time of their lives on the beach.

When sunset arrived, they all went back home to Sharpedo Bluff to get some rest. Later that night, Manaphy got up from his bed while the others were asleep, and looked out to the sea from the bottom jaw of the bluff. He had a face of worry on him…

The next morning, Team Poképals and Team Go-Getters woke up and turned to each other.

"Good morning, everybody!" Leon announced.

They turned to Manaphy's bed.

"Good morning to y-" Blaze began, but he suddenly realized that the little guy was not in his bed!

"Manaphy…?" Ian said.

The five pokémon looked around for the seafaring pokémon, and called out his name, but he was nowhere to be found in the bluff. They turned back to each other.

"Oh no, guys!" Leon announced. "Manaphy's gone missing!"

"What should we do?!" questioned a panicked Blaze.

"Where could he have possibly gone off to?" Charmander said.

"I don't know," Chikorita insisted, "but we've gotta find him...fast!"

They all nodded in agreement, as they grabbed each of their items and team bags before they went out of the bluff to go and search for Manaphy.

With the two teams now in Treasure Town, they called out for Manaphy to see if he would come out of a building, beside a tree, or any hiding spot he might be in. Next, they spoke to some of the pokémon around town to see if they saw him, but to no avail. They went over to the splitting pathways outside of town to meet up with Chatot.

"Ah, Team Poképals and Team Go-Getters~!" the parrot announced. "I was just on my way to see how the little Manaphy is doing~! I trust that he's doing well?"

They shook their heads in disagreement.

"That's not it!" Leon insisted. "He's gone missing!"

"Wh-what?!" Chatot squawked in alarm. "Didn't I tell all of you to take proper care of that baby? Didn't I?!"

"We're trying our best to locate him, though!" insisted Ian.

"Fine, I'll look too! Manaphy's still a toddler, so he couldn't have gotten too far. While I'll look through the guild myself, all of you will continue looking for him outside here!"

The two teams nodded in agreement, as Chatot went into Wigglytuff's Guild to search for Manaphy. They turned to each other next.

"Wait!" Leon announced. "I think Manaphy might be at the beach! He likes it so much there!"

"That's where we played all day yesterday!" Blaze replied. "C'mon! He could be over there!"

The two teams made their way down the stairs leading to the beach.

When they got there, they indeed saw Manaphy staring out to the sea. They approached him and surrounded him.

"There you are, Manaphy!" announced Leon.

"You had all of us worried!" Blaze said.

"Why did you come here by yourself?!" questioned Ian.

Manaphy did not turn to them or answer.

"Hey...Manaphy?" said a worried Charmander.

"What's wrong?" Chikorita said.

Suddenly, the seafaring pokémon collapsed onto the sand, as everyone gasped in horror!

"Manaphy!" they said.

Leon went close to Manaphy and examined him carefully. He felt his forehead lastly, and discovered that it was hot. The piplup turned back to the crowd in worry.

"Bad news, guys! He's running a high fever!"

"Oh no!" Ian replied. "We'll have to get him back to our house!"

Charmander turned to Chikorita.

"Chikorita," he said, "go and tell Chatot that we found Manaphy and that we're taking him back to Sharpedo Bluff!"

"Got it!" she replied.

Chikorita ran out of the beach and towards the guild, while the four pokémon paid their attention back to the unconscious Manaphy.

"Okay, guys," Leon said. "We're gonna carry him back to the bluff together. On the count of three, we'll lift him! Ready?"

"Ready!" everyone else announced in agreement, as they put their hands on Manaphy. Leon counted down so he and the others could lift him up simultaneously.

"One...two...three!"

They were able to lift him off the sand and carry him back to the bluff.

Once they got there, Chikorita led Chatot down the stairs into the two teams' home to find Manaphy laying on his bed. The four pokémon surrounding him turned to the parrot.

"Chatot!" Leon announced. "Manaphy's got a terrible fever!"

The parrot, along with Chikorita, surrounded the seafaring pokémon. Chatot put one of his wings on Manaphy's forehead to confirm that he was indeed ill. Chatot squawked in alarm.

"M-my word! That fever of his is indeed frightful!"

"We know," Blaze replied. "We found him on the beach… We tried to get his attention, but he collapsed without warning."

Chatot had a somber look on his face, as he spoke again.

"...Manaphy's illness must be caused by being in the wrong environment." He turned to the teams. "Just as I'd imagine, he's a pokémon that needs to grow in the sea. Our environment here is completely unlike being in the sea, and that's why this infant is ill."

Blaze grunted in frustration and worry.

"Argh! It's our fault that Manaphy is in danger!"

"As things stand, though," Chatot insisted, "remorse and regret won't help now. We need to focus solely on curing Manaphy's illness."

"How exactly can we cure him?" questioned Leon.

"From what I've heard from pokémon living in the sea...it seems that there is a cure-all item known as the Phione Dew. That may be enough to cure Manaphy's illness alone."

"Phione Dew...now where could that be, Chatot?"

"There are pokémon called phione that drift along the sea, and are said to produce the Phione Dew. I believe they live in an area to the west called the Miracle Sea."

"Miracle Sea...gotcha!"

Leon and Blaze turned to each other with determined looks on their faces.

"We've gotta find the phione, no matter what, Leon!" the chimchar began. "It's the only way we can save Manaphy!"

"I'm with you, Blaze!"

Team Poképals turned to Team Go-Getters.

"Guys," Leon said, "you'll have to stay here and look after Manaphy today. Blaze and I have a crucial mission to find that dew at the Miracle Sea!"

They nodded in agreement, as Leon and Blaze made their way out of Sharpedo Bluff to prepare for the trip to the Miracle Sea.

The dungeon of Miracle Sea, like the Surrounded Sea, had over 20 floors of water-type pokémon that the team had to deal with. Aware of Blaze's weakness here, he and Leon bought two electric-type teammates along for the exploration.

When Team Poképals got to the seabed, they saw a group of phione playing with each other. They were pokémon who looked similar to Manaphy, albeit with a bigger body and blue eyes instead of yellow. The team started to approach them, when a roar within the seabed surprised them all. A big pokémon named Gyarados, who had a blue body on top and a cream stomach, cut in between the two groups. It looked at the phione, and let out a laugh before speaking.

"I found you all at last! You're the phione, the ones who make the cure-all Phione Dew, right? Well, rejoice! From now on, you will all answer to me! All of your dew belongs to me from now on!"

He laughed again, prompting Team Poképals to step in.

"Think again, Gyarados!" announced Leon.

The atrocious pokémon turned to the team.

"Now who might you be?" he demanded.

"We're Team Poképals!" Blaze answered. "That Phione Dew doesn't deserve to be taken away like that!"

"So you have a bone to pick with me, huh?" Gyarados laughed in bewilderment. "You're a million years too early to pick a fight with me!"

"Oh, yeah?" Leon insisted. "We're way stronger than we look! You'll regret saying those words to us! Prepare yourself!"

He and his teammates got into their battle stances.

"Come at me, then!" Gyarados roared, as the battle got underway!

The battle itself would last around a minute, as the atrocious pokémon had indeed regretted bragging about his size and brute strength. When he was defeated, he collapsed onto the watery surface and laid for a few seconds, until he rose up slowly and grunted in frustration.

"Grrrr…I won't forget this!"

He turned to his left and made his way out of the seabed, as the phione approached and congratulated Team Poképals for their victorious efforts. They gave them a yellow box that had the cure-all Phione Dew that was required to heal Manaphy from his illness. The team thanked them for the offer and left the Miracle Sea.

When Leon and Blaze themselves arrived back at Sharpedo Bluff, they barely woke up Manaphy and instructed him to take the Phione Dew so he can be cured. They, along with Team Go-Getters and Chatot watched anxiously as Manaphy drank the dew up. After a few moments, he opened his eyes up slowly but completely, as he looked to Team Poképals who saved him.

"...Thank you...Leon...and Blaze."

All of the pokémon around Manaphy were immensely relieved that he was finally cured of his illness.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Leon said.

"It worked, all right!" Chatot replied. "Manaphy should be completely healthy within two to three days of rest."

Tears of relief and joy appeared from the two teams.

"That's a-awesome!" Blaze exclaimed. "Am I ever g-glad to hear...that's he gonna be f-fine."

A few days later, Manaphy, as predicted, had completely recovered and was back to his cheerful self again. He played with both Team Poképals and Team Go-Getters on the bluff above the house for most of the day to enjoy the rest of the time they had left together before the seafaring pokémon would have to leave for the seas. The sun was about to set for today…

"The little guy's as good as ever!" commented Leon.

"Good! Ever!" repeated Manaphy.

"Are we ever glad to see this!" Ian said.

Chatot approached the group as he had a serious look on his face.

"Everyone...it's time."

They turned to him, as they now wore sad looks on their faces.

"Yes...we know," Blaze replied.

"Manaphy needs to develop the ability to survive in the sea..." Charmander said.

"Well, guys," Chikorita said, "we should take him to the beach one more time before he leaves us."

"Good idea," Chatot responded. "There's someone waiting for him there, after all."

Everybody understood this and went to the beach.

When all the pokémon got to the beach, they saw a walrus-like pokémon named Walrein supposedly waiting for Manaphy. Chatot started to explain to the two teams.

"The guildmaster and I decided to invite Walrein here from the Northern Sea. We felt that he would be ideal for looking after Manaphy."

"Aye," the ice break pokémon agreed. "I've heard all I need to hear from Wigglytuff. You have my word. I will take full responsibility on raising Manaphy."

"Please take good care of the little guy," pleaded Leon.

He and the others turned to Manaphy.

"Manaphy," Blaze said, "from now on, I want you to be good and listen to Walrein so that you can grow strong and healthy in the sea."

The seafaring pokémon seemed to be confused by the chimchar's words. The two teams had tears of sadness falling from their eyes.

"As you g-get o-older...don't forget us..." Leon said.

Manaphy had a concerned look on his face.

"...G-guys?" he could only reply.

Chatot also had a somber look on his face.

"...Prolonging this will only make it worse..." He turned to Walrein. "Walrein, if you may..."

"Aye."

The walrus pokémon turned to Manaphy.

"Let's go, Manaphy."

The seafaring pokémon turned to him in confusion, as Walrein approached him. Once he grabbed him, Manaphy was alarmed as to what was actually happening, as he could only turn back to the two teams.

"Guys?"

As Walrein pulled him to the sea, Manaphy began to cry out the names of the five pokémon that looked after him. He had tears falling down, as he and Walrein began to leave the sight of Team Poképals and Team Go-Getters.

"Take care...Manaphy..." Ian said in between sobs.

They all knew at this point that they had lost the adoring little seafaring pokémon, but they knew in their minds that it was the only solution to make him live properly until he grew up. Still, they continued to shed tears as they made their way back home to Sharpedo Bluff.

Later that night, neither of the five pokémon spoke to each other, as they were still heartbroken by letting go of Manaphy hours earlier. They only sat on their beds looking down at the ground, as they struggled to get the heartbreaking event out of their minds. Eventually, they would all fall asleep.

The very next morning, the teams said "good morning" to each other, as they looked to the bed where Manaphy once slept on. They realized that he would not be back anytime soon, as they once again had somber looks on their faces.

"...Poor Manaphy..." Leon began.

"The little guy's gone..." Blaze responded.

"It was for the best, though...there was nothing more we could do."

"You're right, Leon," Ian replied.

Everybody turned to each other.

"We did the only right thing for Manaphy," Charmander said.

"I think, and hope, that Walrein will raise him properly," Chikorita said.

"Yeah," replied Blaze. "...And maybe...one day somewhere, even here, we'll all be able to see Manaphy again..."

Everyone turned to his bed one more time, before they decided to put it away under a drawer. They turned back to each other once more.

"Guys..." Leon began, as he had a serious look on his face, "...we really shouldn't go around feeling sorry and sad forever. I doubt Manaphy would want that."

"But I just can't get back to feeling like it's normal right away..." insisted Blaze.

"We should still try to keep ourselves positive and move on, all right?" suggested Ian.

"Yeah!" answered Leon. "Let's start by giving ourselves a much needed group hug. We all have to comfort each other, after all."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, as they smiled and gave a huge group hug to each other. After a few moments, they separated from one another and got ready for today's explorations.

They knew that moving on without Manaphy would be difficult, but they would have to try their best for him from now on.