Early the next morning, Team Sunrise headed down to the beach, eager to hear about whatever dungeon Lapras had found. Apparently, their destination was south of Treasure Town's coast, in a part of the ocean called the Surrounded Sea. Lapras offered to give Team Sunrise a ride to check the area out, and the pair quickly agreed.

There was one problem, however. Lapras warned the explorers that, given the dungeon's location... there was almost certainly going to be a lot of water involved. Likely more than any other dungeon they had encountered before. The entrance was above water, at least, so the dungeon shouldn't be entirely flooded... but even that was less of a certainty than Team Sunrise would have liked.

Needless to say, that gave them some second thoughts. Flynn would obviously be at a big disadvantage, and Melody didn't exactly relish the possibility of needing to swim either. And if the dungeon did turn out to be flooded after all, then exploring it would be completely out of the question for them. All in all, there were probably plenty of other teams who were far better equipped for a place like this than they were.

After some discussion, though, the pair agreed to at least check the place out. Even if they didn't ultimately explore the whole dungeon themselves, it wouldn't hurt to at least get to see it. And... who knows. Maybe it wouldn't turn out to be as bad as they were afraid of after all.

Melody carefully leaned over the edge of Lapras's shell, gazing out at the ocean. The water seemed to stretch out endlessly in all directions. A small smile bloomed on the Skitty's face as she simply watched the ocean waves flow gently by.

After a while, she raised her head to look over at her partner. Flynn stared up at the sky, his eyes following a flock of Wingull as they flew by overhead. But Melody had a feeling he was mainly just distracting himself.

She gently nudged the Cyndaquil on the side. He turned to look at her, and she simply smiled at him, soft but reassuring. After a moment, Flynn smiled back confidently, though there was still a faint nervous flicker coming from the vents on his back.

Melody turned her attention to Lapras, who was still gently surfing along. "So, Lapras, what else can you tell us about the Surrounded Sea? You said you only found the place just recently?"

Lapras turned his head slightly to glance back at his passengers. "Yes and no. I have known about the Surrounded Sea for quite some time. I was always somewhat curious what might be in there, but a thick, impenetrable ring of ice encircles the entire area, making it impossible to sail into.

"Just the other day, however, I discovered a small break in the ice. I'm fairly certain that it wasn't there the last time I passed by, so it must have only appeared very recently. Naturally, I took the opportunity to finally give the area a look."

Melody nodded along, listening intently. She stared out over the horizon in an attempt to see if she could spot their destination off in the distance. But at least for now, all she could really see was water.

"At the center of the Surrounded Sea," Lapras continued, "I found a small island. Or... hm, perhaps 'island' is too generous a term, given how small it was." Lapras tilted his head in thought for a brief moment, before he shook his head, deciding it wasn't important. "In any case, the only thing of note that seemed to be there was a small cavern. And while I did not attempt to go inside, I could tell from the look of the entrance that it was a mystery dungeon."

An excited grin slowly grew on Melody's face, and her tail started to sway back and forth on its own. "A mystery dungeon in a place that nobody's been able to reach for... for who even knows how long."

Lapras nodded. "Indeed. And... while this is mostly speculation on my part... many of the ocean's currents tend to converge on the Surrounded Sea. The currents could flow right underneath the barrier of ice, and potentially even carry items from far and wide into those waters. So if, by chance, some of those items managed to get caught up within the dungeon's boundaries..."

"...Then there's no telling what kinds of things might be waiting inside!" Melody finished excitedly.

"Again, it is only speculation," Lapras cautioned. "I cannot guarantee that there's actually anything of interest down there. But it certainly makes you think, doesn't it?"

Melody nodded vigorously. Even if there was no guarantee of it, the sheer possibilities alone were enough to drive her imagination wild with images of sunken treasure.

Her grin faltered a bit as she thought back to her earlier concerns. Depending on how bad the dungeon turned out to be, they might not get to see much of it anyway. But she softly shook her head, choosing to dismiss those pessimistic thoughts for now. Until they actually saw the dungeon for themselves, she was going to let herself dream.

About an hour later, they reached their destination. The thick barrier of ice towered impressively over them as Lapras carefully navigated through a narrow gap in the wall. Melody peered over the edge again, wondering just how far down the iceberg really went.

The island at the center of the Surrounded Sea really was about as barren as Lapras made it out to be. The landmass was only about as wide across as Sharpedo Bluff, if that. And other than the small spire of rock in the middle, there really wasn't anything else to see.

A gap in the side of the stone led down into the cavern below. The opening seemed to shimmer in the light, as if it were covered by some sort of odd film. It was fairly faint, and someone less knowledgeable about mystery dungeons might think it was simply a trick of the light. But Melody knew better.

Lapras bid farewell to Team Sunrise for now, agreeing to wait outside the dungeon until they returned. Melody took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves as she and Flynn stepped up to the dungeon's entrance. Flynn took their escape orb out of their bag, just in case they needed to use it immediately. After giving each other a small nod, the duo cautiously stepped into the dungeon.


As soon as they appeared on the dungeon's first floor, Flynn felt a shiver run down his spine as he abruptly found himself up to his ankles in cold seawater.

He quickly lowered his gaze to stare at the floor, and couldn't help but grimace. This wasn't just a puddle. Everywhere Flynn looked, the entire floor was covered in a shallow layer of water. There didn't seem to be a single speck of dry gound anywhere... and Flynn could spot several places where the water looked to be far deeper than this.

The Cyndaquil instinctively took a hasty step backward, only to immediately regret it. The cold water sloshed all around his feet, getting in between his claws and splashing up higher on his legs. It... didn't hurt the fire-type, exactly, since at least the water was far too shallow to get into his flame vents. But all the same, the feeling of it made his skin crawl.

This was not going to be fun.

He felt a gentle poke on his side. "Flynn?" Melody's concerned voice called from beside him. "Are you... s-still sure you're up for this?"

Flynn hesitated a moment, still grimacing as he stared at the floor. "...Not really," he eventually admitted. But then his expression hardened with resolve, and he let out a quiet sigh. "...But I'll be fine."

The Skitty gave him a hard look, clearly unconvinced. "Flynn, y-you... you really don't have to force yourself through a place like this just on my account. N-Neither of us wants this to end up like a repeat of Waterfall Cave."

Flynn cringed a bit at that memory. Even just leaping through the waterfall had been agonizing, though thankfully it only lasted a moment. But then they triggered that trap at the dungeon's end. A massive deluge of water quickly swallowed the pair up, and carried them all the way to the hot springs. Even with the help of healing items, it took nearly an entire day for his fire to properly recover from that.

But... that was one of their earliest adventures. They'd both gotten much stronger and more experienced since then, and they had dealt with far worse than a bit of shallow water like this. As long as they were careful, Flynn was... reasonably confident that they could still make it through this place alright.

And in any case... Melody's enthusiasm from earlier was infectious. "...We both want to see what's down here," Flynn said. "You can't pretend you aren't curious."

Melody bit her lip, hesitating slightly. After a few moments, she let out a sigh. "Alright," she conceded, shaking her head a little. "I-If you're sure. But don't overextend yourself, okay? As soon as things start to get really bad, we're using our escape orb. Deal?"

"Deal," Flynn agreed without complaint. He scooped the treasure bag up off of Melody's back with his snout, before letting it settle on his own back. Melody cautiously started on her way toward the room's exit, and Flynn followed just behind.

The first floor passed mostly without incident. The pair stayed alert as they slowly trudged along through the shallows, making sure to keep a good distance from the deeper water. But at least for now, they were fortunate enough to not encounter any wild pokemon.

Both explorers had to double-take slightly when they eventually found the staircase down. The water simply halted in place at the edge of the stairs, as if an invisible wall stopped it from flowing down to the next floor. It was rather bizarre to look at... but they supposed it was just another quirk of mystery dungeons' distorted physics.

In any case, Flynn wasn't going to complain about it. Now that he thought about it, the lower floors would logically be completely flooded otherwise.

As the pair descended down the stairs, they could only hope that the rest of the dungeon would go this smoothly.


Unfortunately, the dungeon had other plans.

On the bright side, the pair were consistently able to use the paths through the shallows to get everywhere they needed to go. At least they were never forced to swim in order to proceed. But that was about the only good thing Flynn could say about this dungeon so far. And even then, the dungeon seemed to delight in making the paths as narrow and convoluted as possible.

The wild pokemon, on the other hand, thrived in this kind of place. The deep water gave them countless places to potentially lurk out of sight, or swim away to safety after taking a quick shot at the explorers. Team Sunrise tried their best to keep their guards up and watch out for potential ambushes. But no matter how careful they were, they were bound to make some mistakes eventually.

At one point, while Flynn was busy checking behind them, he heard his partner let out a pained yelp from just up ahead. He quickly turned back to check on her, and found that a Shellder had apparently leapt from the water and clamped down hard on the Skitty's tail. It took nearly a minute to get the stubborn thing to let go, as Melody winced in pain the entire time.

A few floors after that, just before they could reach the stairs, a surprise Hydro Pump from a Seadra sent Flynn tumbling off the narrow pathway and into the deep water. He managed to scramble out a moment later, coughing and spluttering as steam poured from his back, but the damage had been done. His inner fire was screaming at him now, and the oran berry that Melody gave him afterward could only do so much to help.

The two of them had managed to get reasonably far into the dungeon, by that point. But the wild pokemon were only getting stronger as they went along, and their supplies were beginning to run precariously low. They had also eaten nearly all of the food they'd brought with them... and despite constantly keeping an eye out for items, they hadn't found any extra food along the way.

Or anything else of interest, for that matter. And that was perhaps the most disappointing part. It did seem like some items had washed in here from across the ocean, like Lapras had suggested. But so far, it had been limited to things like seashells, broken bits of coral, and... seaweed. Lots and lots of seaweed.

Flynn could tell from the look on Melody's face that she was on the verge of insisting that they give up and leave. But... he could also tell that a part of her was still torn about it. What if they gave up just before the end? What if the big discovery they were waiting for was just around the next corner?

And so, Flynn gritted his teeth, and stood back up. "...One more floor," he said quietly. "If we don't find anything there... or if we get into a tough spot before then... then we'll leave."

Melody hesitated for a moment. But eventually, she gave a short nod. The duo slowly trudged over to the stairs and made their way down to the next floor.

And as it turned out, the team's persistence was rewarded. Flynn noticed subtle shift in the air as they stepped down the stairs, signaling that they had finally reached a stable zone in the dungeon. The Cyndaquil gave a short sigh of relief. That should mean they were finally at the end now, or at the very least a safe breather room.

After a short moment, the next floor came into view. Both explorers' eyes widened a bit at the sight in front of them.

Judging by how large the chamber was, this was definitely the end of the dungeon. The seaweed was even more prevalent here, covering the entire floor like an ugly green carpet, but countless dots of color poked out from underneath. Some appeared to be just more coral and seashells, like they'd found up to this point, but Flynn could also see what looked like gold coins, glistening pearls, and who knows what else buried under the seaweed.

The most eye catching part, however, was sitting on the far side of the room from them: three honest-to-goodness treasure chests. They were all ornately designed, with gold-plated locks and more gold etched along the sides, and each chest appeared to be slightly larger than Flynn himself.

It wasn't unheard of for a mystery dungeon to create treasure chests. Team Sunrise had found more than a few in their travels. But those were usually small enough to fit in their treasure bag, only just big enough to contain one item each. So either this dungeon was a bit special... or these weren't made by the dungeon.

Flynn slowly glanced over at his partner. Melody's eyes sparkled with excitement, an absolutely beaming smile on her face as she took in the sight in front of her. Despite how worn down he felt, Flynn couldn't help but grin. "...Worth it?"

For once, Melody was the one who was left speechless. After a long moment, she finally responded with a short nod, her gaze slowly sweeping over the trove of items.

Still, the two of them kept their guards up as they moved to examine the room more closely. There was no guarantee they were alone here. With the way this room looked, Flynn honestly expected some strong wild pokemon to show up at any moment, angry at the team for intruding on its treasure hoard.

But as the minutes ticked by uneventfully, with no wild pokemon in sight, Flynn's tension gradually drained away. It seemed like it really was this simple, this time.

Naturally, the team investigated the treasure chests first. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, none of the chests were fully intact; the wood had visibly started to rot, and sizable chunks were missing from the sides of each chest. On the bright side, this at least meant they wouldn't have to deal with the locks, Flynn supposed. With any luck, at least some of their original contents might still be salvageable.

The first chest they checked seemed to contain an assortment of wonder orbs. Or at least, the remnants of them, anyway. Almost all of them were either cracked or shattered completely, and neither of the explorers were willing to sift through the broken shards in the hopes of salvaging something from it.

The second chest was in even worse shape than the first one had been, with almost none of the original contents left inside. Which was a shame, because what little was left included a couple of small gemstones, and some rusted coins that looked like they could be decades old. That alone was valuable enough, but Flynn couldn't help but wonder just how much the chest had originally contained.

The third and final chest was filled with scarves and other accessories. Like with the other chests, most of the contents were far too worn down by time and water exposure to be worth keeping. But they did find a few small pieces of jewelry that had remained mostly intact.

Oddly enough, though, the least damaged item in the third chest was a seemingly simple scarf. The cloth was mostly a deep navy blue, with a wavy stripe of tan running right along the middle. A label on the side identified it as a 'passho band'.

Flynn didn't recall ever hearing about this kind of scarf before... but he had heard about passho berries, once or twice. They were apparently rather rare, so he had never seen one in person before, but supposedly they could reduce damage taken from water-type moves. And if this scarf was really infused with some of that power, in the same way that things like pecha scarves and persim bands worked... then Flynn would definitely have to try it out for himself.

That would have to wait for later, though. For now, they still had more of the room to check out.

The team temporarily split up as they continued searching the rest of the room for anything else that was worth keeping. Melody dug through a pile of seaweed, wincing slightly in disgust as she picked out a couple pearls from amid the sludge.

Meanwhile, Flynn was a short distance away, picking up some more rusty coins and stowing them away in the bag. Suddenly he was almost glad they'd used up so much of their supplies. If they hadn't, there would have been very little space in their treasure bag for any of the things they were finding.

After a short while, he found something unusual. It was a small, oval-shaped object, sitting on its side amid yet another mound of seaweed.

Flynn almost thought it was a wonder orb at first; it was about the same size as one, or maybe a little larger. But he quickly realized that it had to be something else. The object was a very light sky-blue, with a ring of small yellow dots going around the objects surface near the top, and a striking red orb near the center.

It took a little while for Flynn to figure out what the strange object was. But eventually the realization finally sunk in, and Flynn's heart sank.

"...Melody?" he called out, his voice dead serious.

"Yeah?" she answered back, glancing over her shoulder at him. "Did you find something?"

"...I think I found an egg."

That certainly got her attention. She dropped what she was doing, shaking a loose bit of seaweed off her tail before quickly making her way to Flynn's side. Her ears drooped as she looked down at the defenseless egg.

"Do you think it's... like the other things in here?" Flynn asked.

"Washed in from outside of the dungeon, you mean? Probably." Melody gently ran a paw over the egg. "It... it could maybe be from one of the wilds around here, I guess. But it doesn't seem like it. There's no kind of nest or anything, and nobody watching over it. So if it is from one of the local wilds, then..."

"...Then it was abandoned," Flynn finished. Melody gave a sad nod. Flynn wasn't sure which of those possibilities was sadder.

It was impossible to tell how long the egg had been lying here like this. Or if whatever pokemon was inside was still alive, for that matter. But one thing did seem almost certain: the poor hatchling would not last very long if they simply left it here alone, in a shallow pool of cold seawater, with no one to protect it.

He shared a look with Melody. A silent understanding passed between the two, and they both nodded.

Very, very carefully, they stowed the egg away in one of the pouches of their treasure bag. It was a fairly snug fit, even after tossing out the last couple of supplies they'd had in that pouch. But at least for now, the egg should hopefully be alright in there.

The team quickly gave the floor one more quick sweep, just to be certain there wasn't anything else important that they had missed. When they were both satisfied, Melody gently settled the bag onto her back once again, and Flynn finally used the escape orb to warp them out.


Apparently, Team Sunrise had taken longer to get through the dungeon than they had realized. Night had already nearly fallen, and it would still take at least another hour for Lapras to ferry them back to Treasure Town again.

Lapras was naturally curious about how things had gone, and what the team might have found within the dungeon. So as they slowly sailed along, Melody passed the time by recounting the details of the adventure to Lapras. The water-type listened intently, nodding along and asking questions occasionally.

He was just as surprised as they were by the egg they'd found. "To think that something like that would have been carried into there by the currents..." Lapras shook his head softly. "I feel bad for whatever unfortunate pokemon lost this egg."

Melody nodded sadly. "I wish we at least had some clue where the egg came from. If we knew that, we could potentially try and return it." She let out a sigh. "As it is, we'll... probably just have to bring it to Chansey's Day Care for now, I guess. Hopefully she'll have more of an idea what to do from there."

Flynn frowned. He cast a look up at the blanket of stars that already twinkled overhead in the night sky. "...They might not still be open this late."

Melody flinched slightly at that. "I hadn't thought about that. But you're probably right." She flicked her tail pensively for a moment. "I guess... we'll bring it to her first thing tomorrow morning, in that case."

Lapras eyed the pair uncertainly for a moment. But he ultimately remained silent, simply turning his gaze back towards the ocean in front of him. "...I hope you are able to find a home for the poor thing," Lapras eventually said.

Most of the remainder of the trip back to Treasure Town passed in relative silence. Now that Team Sunrise was out of the dungeon, and the adrenaline had completely worn off, fatigue was quickly starting to set in. Melody had to struggle to keep her eyes open as the gentle swaying of the waves threatened to lull her to sleep. And while Flynn tried to hide it, Melody could tell he was even more exhausted than she was, after how tough the dungeon had been on him.

Eventually, Lapras arrived at Treasure Town's beach. Melody and Flynn bid him farewell for the night, before heading directly back to Sharpedo Bluff. The streets were almost completely barren at this hour, and while Melody cast a brief glance in the direction of Chansey's Day Care, she wasn't surprised to see that the building's windows were completely dark.

Back at Sharpedo Bluff, Flynn and Melody started to form a straw nest for the egg, before catching themselves. Eggs needed warmth. Just setting it aside in its own separate nest wasn't going to help much.

...Though, on the other hand, this egg was presumably from a species that lived deep in the ocean. Melody didn't have the first clue what sorts of conditions an egg like this would require. If it was still alright after being left alone in that dungeon for however long, then perhaps it didn't need to be kept warm after all? If anything, maybe they should set it in some water, instead...

Melody groaned tiredly, her ears folded down onto her head. The fact that they could only vaguely guess at what species of pokemon the egg even belonged to only made things even more uncertain.

Ultimately, the pair decided that keeping the egg warm was their safest bet. A fire-type's heat might be a little bit much in this case, though. So Melody set the egg down on her own bed, before awkwardly lying down beside it. She protectively curled her tail around the egg and tried to get comfortable.

It felt... more than a little strange. This was not where she expected today to go when she got up this morning. But, well... here she was, she supposed.

She just hoped that the poor egg would be alright for now. With any luck, Chansey would know what to do with it tomorrow.

It didn't take long for the exhausted Skitty to fall asleep. A peaceful silence settled over the small den as the night continued to roll on.


Team Sunrise made sure to wake up bright and early again the next morning. Melody would have rather slept in a bit longer, if she was honest, but getting the egg over to Chansey as soon as possible took priority.

Flynn, for his part, still seemed a little drained from the dungeon yesterday as well. His fire sputtered weakly for a moment when he went to prepare their breakfast, though he was still able to muster enough fire to get the job done with a bit of effort. It would likely take a little while for his fire to fully return to normal, but he seemed to be recuperating decently well at least.

The Cyndaquil rolled a roasted apple over to Melody, along with a couple of assorted berries, before he started to work on his own food. The pair planned to have a quick, simple breakfast, and then head to Chansey's Day Care as soon as it opened for the day.

That was the plan, anyway. But as Melody slowly nibbled on one of her berries, a soft push against her side suddenly caught her by surprise. "U-Uh?" she cried out quietly, glancing down at the egg nestled against her side.

Flynn looked up from the apple he was roasting, and tilted his head in curiosity. "What is it?"

Before Melody could muster a response, the egg jolted once again, nearly toppling over onto its side in the process. "I-It's hatching!" Melody cried out. Flynn immediately abandoned his apple and hurried over to Melody's side.

After a few more thumps, part of the eggshell finally gave way, allowing a tiny, light-blue pokemon to tumble out. A small piece of eggshell remained on top of the hatchling's head as it peeked around at its new surroundings. Eventually, it looked up at Melody, innocent wonder sparkling in its eyes as it met the Skitty's gaze. "Phee?"

Melody didn't say anything for a while, instead staring numbly at the strange hatchling. He didn't look at all like any species that Melody was familiar with. The closest fit that came to mind was perhaps Chinchou, given the odd pair of antennae on the hatchling's head. But nothing else about him seemed to match the pictures she'd seen of Chinchou, so she was fairly sure that couldn't be right either.

Eventually, the hatchling's attention shifted to Flynn. Its head tilted in curiosity, and it slowly raised a hand up to feel the Cyndaquil's snout. Flynn didn't react much at first, continuing to stare pensively at the hatchling. But after a moment, a faint smile grew on Flynn's face. He gently bumped his snout against the hatchling's forehead, causing the newborn to break out into giggles.

That interaction finally managed to snap Melody out of her stunned silence, and she let out a faint 'aww'. She brought her tail around to sit by the hatchling's side, and he immediately started to poke around with the pins on the end of her tail.

"...What kind of pokemon is he?" Flynn asked.

"Honestly? I haven't got a clue," Melody admitted. "I've never seen a pokemon like this in my life. Not even in books, at least that I can remember."

The hatchling gave a contented "Phee," as he hugged Melody's soft tail like a pillow. Melody smiled at the infant's antics... but a pit quickly formed in her stomach as an awkward realization set in.

"He... he probably thinks we're his parents, doesn't he?"

A thoughtful frown settled on Flynn's face. "...Probably."

Melody sighed. "T-This really isn't how this was supposed to go. What do we do now?"

Flynn hesitated a moment. "...First things first," he eventually offered, "we talk to Chansey, like we planned. Ask her what species this little guy is, and go from there."

Melody nodded slowly. That was probably as good of a start as they were going to get, for now.

Flynn gently scooped the tiny hatchling up onto his back. The infant let out a cry of surprise at first, but quickly started giggling with glee at the sudden piggyback ride.

Melody couldn't help but smile a bit at that sight. She led the way over to the den's entrance, only to pause as her stomach let out a faint rumble. She glanced back over her shoulder at their half-baked apples, now laying abandoned on the floor, before shaking her head. There were more important things to focus on for now.

As they all emerged out into the early morning sunlight, the infant gave a soft coo, entranced by all the new surroundings. But Flynn and Melody didn't stop to let him take in the sights.

The three of them got quite a few odd looks from passersby as they walked through town. Several pokemon stopped the couple along the way to ask where they'd found the hatchling, or simply to comment on how cute he was.

Unfortunately, Chansey wasn't able to help much. She didn't recognize the hatchling's species either, and while she offered to look after him for Team Sunrise, she made it clear that there was only so much that she could do for a pokemon who was likely meant to grow up in the ocean.

Without any other leads, and not knowing what else to do, Flynn and Melody decided to head to the guild. Perhaps Chatot would know something; he was the guild's head of intelligence, after all.


They eventually found Chatot down on the guild's second basement floor, busily looking over some paperwork. But after Melody explained the situation, and Chatot agreed to take a look at the hatchling.

"Hmm..." Chatot leaned in close, humming in thought as he examined the tiny pokemon. The infant reached up a curious hand to prod at one of Chatot's colorful wings, causing the bird to frown slightly and take a step back.

"Well," Chatot eventually said, "I can safely say I have never seen this species of pokemon before. Not in person, at any rate. However, judging by his appearance, and where you claim to have found the egg..."

He quickly fluttered into the Guildmaster's office, and came back a few moments later carrying a large book. He dropped the book on the floor with a loud thud and began hastily flipping through the pages. "Aha!" he cried out triumphantly, pointing a talon at a particular page. "Manaphy. A Mythical pokemon, and the 'Prince of the Seas', as the stories go."

The hatchling looked down at the book inquisitively. "Ma-uh-phee?"

Melody and Flynn also leaned in to take a look. The image on the page certainly did bear quite a resemblance to the hatchling, Melody had to admit. "Does it have any other information about them?" she asked as she eagerly scanned the rest of the page. "Like... like where other Manaphy might live?"

Chatot shook his head. "Other than 'in the ocean'? I'm afraid not. Mythical pokemon are exceedingly rare, to the point where many sources simply claim they do not exist at all. What little information you will find out there is vague at best, and half of it tends to contradict the other half."

Melody's ears drooped a bit at that. "But... w-what do we do, then?" She looked solemnly down at the infant, who was still cheerfully oblivious to the nature of the conversation. "I-I mean, Manaphy seems to be holding up alright for now, but... he's an ocean-dwelling species, right? He needs to grow up in the ocean."

Chatot nodded gravely. "Unfortunately, I do not know very many ocean-dwelling pokemon I could contact. But..." He trailed off, a thoughtful look settling on his face. "...I do know one pokemon, I suppose. An old, retired explorer by the name of Walrein. He might be willing to take the child in, potentially. Or if not, he may at least know someone else who would."

His uncertain tone didn't exactly inspire confidence. But Melody supposed they didn't have many other options, on such short notice.

"However," Chatot continued, "even if he does agree, it's going to take some time to contact him. We'll still need somebody to take care of him in the meantime."

As the older pokemon discussed their limited options, Manaphy continued to look around the rest of the room. His fascinated gaze eventually landed on Croagunk's Swap Shop, and he slowly waddled over to the strange structure. All the while, Croagunk watched Manaphy's antics from behind the counter with a hint of bemusement in his eyes.

Just as Manaphy started to try and clamber over the counter, Flynn quickly intervened, scooping the curious hatchling up onto his back before he could get into trouble.

Manaphy briefly pouted a bit, one of his tiny hands still stretched out towards the swap cauldron. But as Flynn walked away, Manaphy's attention quickly shifted to something else. "Phee!" he cried out excitedly, pointing with one hand as he leaned slightly over the edge of Flynn's back. Flynn decided to oblige, trotting around the room and letting the cheerful hatchling take in the sights.

Melody felt a bit of her heart melt as she watched the whole scene unfold. She had to admit, she was already starting to get kinda attached to this little Manaphy. And it seemed like Flynn was, too.

A thought struck her. It was probably a foolish idea, if she was honest, but...

Before she could second guess herself, she timidly spoke up. "W-What if... what if Flynn and I took care of Manaphy, for now? J-Just, you know... until you can figure out something more permanent."

Flynn's expression was hard to decipher. But Chatot did not even attempt to hide his wary frown. "I... do not know if that is a wise idea," Chatot said carefully.

Melody blushed fiercely as she fidgeted in place. "B-But I mean... somebody has to take care of him for now, r-right? And... f-for better or worse, we were the ones who hatched Manaphy. He... h-he probably already thinks we're his p-parents, at this point."

Chatot let out a sigh. "That is part of the problem." He gave the couple a sympathetic look, before turning his focus to the Manaphy once again. "You two cannot take care of him in the long term. Given the circumstances, it simply isn't feasible. So with that in mind, it may better for everyone involved if he does not get too attached to you two."

Melody stared down at the floor. She knew Chatot had a point, but...

"...I agree with Melody," Flynn suddenly chimed in as he walked back over to his partner's side. He glanced back at the hatchling still resting on his back. "Someone has to take care of him for now. Should probably be us."

Chatot continued to glare at the duo for a moment, before letting out a resigned sigh. "...If you are both certain, then I suppose I won't stop you. I just hope that you both are prepared for what you're getting into."

After picking up the book again, Chatot turned back towards the Guildmaster's office. "I will let you know as soon as I find out anything else," he called out over his shoulder. "In the meantime, Chansey may at least be able to give some general advice on how to care for a hatchling like this. I'd also suggest bringing him down to the ocean at least a couple times per day, to ensure he stays hydrated properly. And-"

Chatot was abruptly cut off as Manaphy's stomach let out a quiet grumble, and he started to cry. Chatot groaned. "-and I recommend stocking up on blue gummies, for when he gets hungry."

Melody hastily tried to soothe Manaphy, but she didn't have much luck. After a moment, she turned her focus to Flynn. "T-That bag of blue gummies we found back at Craggy Coast the other day should be in Kangaskhan's Storage, right?"

Flynn nodded. "I'll go grab them. But..." He cast a glance at the crying infant on his back.

"R-Right," Melody replied. Carefully, she managed to scoot Manaphy over onto her own back. "Shh... it's alright, it's alright," she cooed softly as she patted the hatchling with her tail. Manaphy's crying finally started to slow, the hatchling sniffling as he nestled into the Skitty's soft fur.

Flynn gave his partner one more solemn look, before he quickly scurried up the stairs, leaving her and Chatot alone with Manaphy for the time being.

...Well, maybe 'alone' wasn't quite the right word. Croagunk was still leaning against the wall next to his swap cauldron and chuckling to himself. Loudred stood dutifully next to the sentry tunnel as usual, a wide grin on his face as he pretended to ignore the whole thing. And Melody also noticed quite a few other pokemon, both guild members and other explorers alike, peeking in from the stairway. Melody blushed fiercely, abruptly realizing just how much of a scene they'd made.

Chatot gave a weary sigh. He pinched his beak with a wing as he skulked back into the Guildmaster's office. "Just when I thought today was going to be quiet and simple, for once..."


A few minutes later, Flynn returned with the pouch of blue gummies. After a brief demonstration from Melody on the concept of 'eating', Manaphy hesitantly tried one of the blue gummies... and immediately fell in love. Honestly, Flynn had a feeling Manaphy would have gobbled up half the bag right then and there, if they'd let him.

After Manaphy had eaten his fill, Flynn scooped the infant up onto his back once again, and Team Sunrise started to head back to Sharpedo Bluff. Manaphy let out a soft yawn, his eyelids quickly starting to droop as he hung onto the Cyndaquil.

By the time the three of them got back home, Manaphy had already fallen fast asleep. Rather than set up a straw bed for the hatchling, Flynn offered up his own bed for Manaphy to rest on. Melody briefly questioned it, but Flynn insisted that he'd be fine just setting up a straw bed for himself again once night fell.

With Manaphy now napping peacefully, Flynn and Melody finally had a chance to finish their own nearly forgotten breakfast. A slightly tense silence settled over the pair as they ate, the full reality of the situation slowly starting to sink in.

After a while, the two of them decided to read more of their book from a couple nights ago to pass the time. It helped to take their minds off the situation for a little bit. But they still made sure to periodically glance over at the sleeping infant, just in case.

A few hours later, Manaphy woke up from his nap. Right away, he started to crawl around the room, eagerly poking around every little part of Team Sunrise's base.

Following Chatot's earlier advice, Flynn and Melody decided to bring the energetic hatchling down to the beach. Melody decided to carry the infant on her back, this time, while Flynn carried the team's bag. They took their time along the way, allowing Manaphy to take in the sights a bit more. The streets were a little less crowded now than they'd been earlier in the day, since most of the explorers in town had already left for their missions.

As the team walked along the outskirts of town, Flynn couldn't help but grin at the way Manaphy continued to gawk at absolutely everything. From the tall palm trees hanging overhead, to the wildflowers that grew along the sides of the path, and even just the ordinary rocks. Every little thing was new and exciting to the newborn.

Then the ocean came into view. Manaphy's eyes widened even more, and he immediately started to try and crawl down from Melody's back for a closer look.

"Whoa!" Melody called out as she quickly held Manaphy in place with her tail. "Just hang on a second, alright?" The Skitty knelt down a bit, and Flynn helped Manaphy to gently climb down.

Manaphy stared down for a moment, surprised by the feel of the sand. After a few seconds, he started to waddle clumsily towards the shoreline, as Flynn and Melody followed watchfully behind.

Just before Manaphy reached the water, a voice called out. "I take it this little fellow hatched from that egg, then?" The trio turned to look, finding Lapras docked in his usual spot further down the beach.

Melody nodded. "He's apparently called a Manaphy. A Mythical pokemon, from what Chatot told us."

Lapras cocked his head slightly in surprise. "Goodness. I would not have expected something quite like that." He turned his focus toward Manaphy, a gentle smile on his face. "Hello there, little one. How are you doing?"

"Phee..." Manaphy uttered as he gazed up in awe at the comparatively massive water-type.

"I see," Lapras chuckled. His expression turned more serious after a moment, and he glanced back over at Team Sunrise. "I take it you two are watching over him for now?"

"F-For now, yes," Melody confirmed. "He hatched before we could bring the egg over to Chansey's place. So now, well..."

"...He believes you are his parents," Lapras finished. Melody gave a timid nod in response. Lapras sighed. "I was a little concerned that something like that could happen. But I suppose you didn't have many other options, given the circumstances."

Manaphy slowly waded out into the water and began cheerfully splashing around, while the older trio all cautiously looked on. Flynn was a little concerned that Manaphy would start to wander a little too far out. But at least with Lapras here, somebody would be able to easily swim out and keep the hatchling in check.

"Chatot's going to look for somebody else to raise Manaphy in the long term," Melody said. "But it's hard to tell how long that's going to take." Her ears perked up slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Say, um... I don't suppose you...?"

Lapras shook his head. "Sorry, but no. I don't think I would have it in me to raise a hatchling like this on my own."

"A-Ah, alright." Melody gave a short nod. "I kinda figured as much. But it was worth a try." Her expression was oddly conflicted, as though a part of her was almost glad they wouldn't have to give up Manaphy just yet.

Manaphy continued to play in the ocean for the better part of an hour. Every now and then, he would call out towards Flynn and Melody, as if wanting them to join in. Melody eventually gave in after a while, and hesitantly swam out to play with Manaphy. But Flynn stayed put on solid ground.

The Cyndaquil pulled out the passho scarf from the team's bag and inspected it with his paws again. He wondered idly how much the scarf would even help much with something like this. But he really didn't feel up to quite that drastic of a test run just yet.

Eventually, Manaphy came back ashore, with Melody following right behind. Rather than focusing on Flynn, though, Manaphy waddled straight up to the team's treasure bag and started to prod the side of it. "Muh. Muh."

"I think he wants more gummies," Melody giggled.

"Phee," Manaphy chimed in agreement. Flynn held in a chuckle as he started to dig through the team's bag again.

Manaphy quickly gobbled up one blue gummi, and then a second right after. But before Manaphy could even try asking for a third, Melody put the pouch back away in the treasure bag. "I think that's enough for now. You don't want a tummy ache, do you?" She gently patted Manaphy on the back a couple times with her tail, prompting the hatchling to let out a tiny burp.

The Skitty turned back to look at Lapras again. "Thank you for helping to keep an eye on him. It was reassuring to have a water-type standing by just in case."

Lapras smiled. "It was no trouble. Though I can't promise I will be here all the time every day, if you intend to do this again."

"That's fair," Melody replied. There were at least a few different water-types around town they could potentially ask when the time came.

Manaphy let out a loud yawn, which Team Sunrise took as their cue to start heading back. Flynn picked the team's treasure bag back up, taking a moment to dust off some of the sand that had gotten on it, before helping the tired hatchling climb back up onto Melody's back again. After bidding farewell to Lapras for now, the three of them made their way back to Sharpedo Bluff.


The rest of the day followed the same sort of pattern. Manaphy napped for a while, giving Team Sunrise a few hours to relax and focus on something else. Once Manaphy woke up, they would bring him down to the beach, or somewhere else around town, and let him play and explore for a while. Whenever he got hungry, they would feed him a couple gummies from the stock they had. And then eventually, Manaphy would get tired, and lay down for a nap again.

All in all, Manaphy had slept through the majority of the day, though that was probably normal for a newborn. But whenever he was awake, Manaphy's innocent curiosity led him to constantly try and get into trouble. Flynn and Melody quickly learned to never let him out of their sight for even a moment, lest he try putting their team badge in his mouth, or start approaching a wild Krabby on the beach, or wander a little uncomfortably close to the edge of Sharpedo Bluff.

Flynn and Melody did both find Manaphy's boundless curiosity cute and endearing, to be sure... but it also proved mentally exhausting to keep up with after a while. Combine that with how tough yesterday had been, plus the fact that they'd gotten up rather early this morning, and both Flynn and Melody were just about ready to collapse into bed by the time nightfall came.

Unfortunately, despite how the rest of the day had gone, Manaphy just didn't want to settle down this time. Every time they would set him in his bed, he would immediately try to waddle off again, still eager to explore more of Sharpedo Bluff.

After several minutes of that, it occured to Melody that she could simply try to sing Manaphy to sleep. In hindsight, if she hadn't been quite so tired, maybe that should have been the first thing she'd tried.

Manaphy whined and pouted as Melody nudged him back into bed for the umpteenth time. But as soon as she started to sing, Manaphy quickly quieted down, entranced by the wordless lullaby. As the song continued, Manaphy yawned, and his eyes slowly closed.

Once she was certain that Manaphy had fallen asleep, Melody let out a quiet sigh of relief. She nearly just slumped down onto the floor right then and there, but she still had just enough energy left to slowly trudge over to her bed first.

A moment later, Flynn sat down on the floor just across from the Skitty. He looked just about as worn down as Melody felt right now, if not more so.

"...Hey, Flynn?" Melody whispered.

"Hm?"

"Do you think I was too hasty, suggesting we should take care of Manaphy like this?"

"...I agreed with you," Flynn replied. "I would have suggested it, if you didn't."

"Alright. Do you think we were hasty?" Melody repeated.

Flynn paused thoughtfully for a moment. "...Probably." He glanced over at the corner of the room where they'd placed the broken pieces of Manaphy's eggshell. "But... the way I see it, we got ourselves involved the moment we brought the egg back. And considering the alternative... I have no regrets."

Melody nodded. "I don't really regret it either. It's just... a-a lot of responsibility, is all." A fierce blush spread across her face, and her tail nervously fidgeted behind her. "I didn't, um... d-didn't think we'd be taking care of a hatchling quite this soon."

Flynn gave an awkward smile, a faint pink tint rising on his cheeks as well. But after a moment, he moved closer to Melody's side and started to gently stroke the Skitty's back. "We'll manage somehow," he reassured quietly. A soft purr rumbled in Melody's throat, and she leaned a bit closer into Flynn's side.

The pair held that embrace for a while, neither of them in much of a hurry to move. But eventually, Flynn let out a yawn. He glanced back over at his new bed, and the Manaphy now sleeping peacefully on it, before sighing. "...Should go grab some straw, I suppose."

Just as he started to stand back up, Melody timidly spoke up. "Y-You don't have to." She scooted over a little in her own bed. "T-There's room." That was perhaps somewhat of a lie. It would probably be a little bit cramped, trying to fit both of them. But it wasn't as if it would be that much different from how they'd slept back at Mt. Horn and Fogbound Lake.

There was a brief pause, before Flynn laid back down and silently cuddled up beside the Skitty. As Flynn settled in and got comfortable, Melody leaned over a bit and nuzzled the Cyndaquil's back.

"...I see how it is," Flynn remarked softly, amusement clear in his tone. "You just wanted your pillow again."

Melody giggled, feeling a bit of her blush return. "What can I say? Y-You're really comfy and warm." She briefly considered shifting around a bit and letting Flynn use her tail as a pillow, just to make it fair. But she wasn't sure that would actually be comfortable for either of them. And in any case, Flynn still didn't seem to actually mind this arrangement much anyway.

A peaceful silence filled the air, only broken by the sound of the pair's own breathing. Flynn was the first to doze off. And before long, the rhythmic rise and fall of her 'pillow' lulled Melody to sleep as well.


A/N: I should really just stop speculating on how long each chapter is going to take, at this rate. Once again, sorry for the long wait. There were a lot of little things that I kept going back and forth on whether or not to include them, or if they should be later on, or how exactly I should handle them... etc.

Hopefully this all turned out decent enough to be worth the wait. As always, I'd love to hear any feedback you have.

Also, I finally finished going back and rewriting Chapter 1. I wanted to add a lot more to it, and also just bring the quality up to be more in line with my more recent chapters. If you've read the story up to this point, you won't need to check it out to have full context or anything. But it's there if you're interested. I will definitely be rewriting/expanding at least the first three chapters like that eventually, but I feel like Chapter 1 definitely needed it the most.