"This is... it evolved!"
Seeing the Alcremie bouncing on her stomach, Yamato broke into a delighted smile. This was their first time witnessing an evolution up close.
Arceus had mentioned evolution before, but didn't tell them how Milcery evolves.
Most Pokemon evolve through level evolution, which means they naturally evolve once they reach a certain level of training. These Pokemon can feel it when they are close to evolving.
Besides that, the most common is evolution through an Evolution Stone. When facing an Evolution Stone, they sense what will happen if they come into contact with it.
The remaining methods include link evolution, friendship evolution, and random evolution forms like Milcery, which even unevolved Pokemon themselves can't explain. That's why, despite having the Power of the Evergreen, Yamato was unaware of how Milcery evolves.
Most of the other Pokemon he created are final forms or have no evolutionary forms at all.
Magikarp is far in the sea, so they haven't had many chances to meet it previously.
"What our father said is true, evolution is indeed the most magical thing in the world."
Alcremie's change in form and appearance made it look nothing like its previous self. Even its voice changed slightly. However, Yamato was still certain it was her Milcery, as the Power of the Evergreen made communication effortless.
The Milcery that evolved into Alcremie was also very happy, clapping its hands to produce a lot of vanilla chocolate-flavored cream.
The cream produced by Milcery before evolving was plain, but the flavor changes based on its spinning and the type of sweet it carries during evolution.
The chocolate and swirling movements in Yamato's arms resulted in this particular flavor.
While Yamato was happily playing with Alcremie, Jack looked at his own Milcery, sensing a hint of envy from it.
"Do you also want to evolve?"
"Nya..."
Following his train of thought, Jack compared the situations. Yamato accidentally rolled down the stairs with Milcery, which led to its evolution. Ergo, if he rolled down the stairs with his Milcery, it should evolve as well.
Although just a few months younger than Yamato, Jack had already made up his mind and, convinced by this logic, he picked up his Milcery and rolled down the nearby stairs.
The girls standing nearby didn't react in time, and Jack's round body was already rolling to the next level.
"Jack!"
Maria stretched out a large web from her hands to try to slow Jack down. However, due to his weight and the momentum from rolling, the web only slightly reduced his speed.
In the end, Robin and Maria together managed to stop Jack.
Being a Fish-Man, his tough skin didn't suffer any damage from the tumble, but his Milcery didn't evolve either.
"Weird, why didn't it evolve? Was it the wrong stair?"
As he said this, he planned to try the stair where Yamato rolled earlier, but this time he was stopped. If the big guy rolled again, they might not be able to stop him then.
"Wait, Jack, Milcery's evolution surely isn't that simple, or they would have evolved long ago."
Maria also wanted her Milcery to evolve. She seemed to have a natural maternal instinct, treating Milcery not just as a companion but as a child. Understanding the "child's" impulse to evolve was something she naturally empathized with.
Using Yamato's Alcremie as an example, they began studying Milcery's evolution mechanism. However, Maria and Jack's sole conclusion was there's a connection between Milcery's evolution and Yamato's recent rolling.
That's when Robin shared her thoughts.
"Does it have something to do with the sweet you carry?"
Due to its color, the chocolate decoration on Yamato's Alcremie's head wasn't very noticeable, but Robin caught it.
Having gathered enough information in just half a day, she noticed things others might not see even after years. Details are crucial in archaeology, so she picked up on this difference.
She also had a piece of chocolate, which Yamato previously gave her. Comparing them side by side, she could tell the chocolate was the same.
Now Nico Robin also wanted to figure out how Alcremie evolved, as Milcery's evolution intrigued her.
Archaeology is quite a tedious endeavor, especially when it comes to poring over complex documents. Young Robin's interest in archaeology largely stemmed from her environment.
The fear from peers left her without companions, and the disdain from relatives left her without affection. Only the scholars at the Tree of Omniscience treated her as an equal and even prepared birthday cakes for her.
To better fit in with this group, she naturally started engaging in archaeology, gradually developing an interest in it. Meanwhile, Olvia's actions also influenced her to some extent.
No one at the Hundred Beasts feared those with abilities, and here she could interact with peers. This was different from her original timeline, where she lived under constant pursuit, always on edge, even when sleeping.
At least now she had pleasant dreams, despite not having Milcery herself, which didn't stop her from exploring this phenomenon to better integrate into a community.
Additionally, Milcery's cream production and evolution characteristics piqued her curiosity.
She was more theoretical, but Jack was a practitioner. Despite not having chocolate, he had some lemon mint candy. After placing the mint in Milcery's hand, he again rolled down.
The three of them didn't expect Jack to roll down again, and this time he crashed into the stair corner, but it confirmed Robin's hypothesis, establishing a direct link between candy and Milcery's evolution.
His Milcery evolved into Alcremie too, albeit with a light yellow hue adorned with a bit of green.
"It worked! It evolved too!"
Jack raised his Alcremie triumphantly. Even male Fish-Men can have a touch of girlish joy in their youth.
"Great job, Robin. You were right; it needed to roll with candy."
Maria searched her belongings and found some green tea treats, thinking they might work as well.
She planned to replicate Jack's method. Given her less robust physical form, she transformed into her Beast Form as a giant spider, intending to roll down in this form.
"Wait! Don't roll down the stairs; I think spinning is enough. You don't need such a big motion. Just turn a few times on the spot with it."
Maria tried as suggested, leading to the emergence of the third green Alcremie...