Wallace turned his head toward Theo, his voice carrying unmistakable sincerity and expectation.
"Theo, for this year's Grand Festival in Slateport City. you will be participating, won't you?"
Theo nodded without the slightest hesitation. A bright light shimmered in his eyes.
"I will, Champion Wallace. The Pokémon Contest stage is my favorite place of all. It's where I want to show the audience the unique charm that only my Pokémon possess."
"Excellent. I'm truly looking forward to it."
Wallace smiled and nodded. "The aurora concept you performed today really opened my eyes. It even gave me many new inspirations."
Then his tone shifted. His expression grew more serious.
"By the way, Theo—how do you view Pokémon? In your heart… are they simply partners used for battles and performances, or are they something more?"
Theo did not answer immediately.
His gaze drifted to where Feebas and Tyrunt were joyfully playing beside Milotic. Scenes flashed through his mind—training with them, eating with them, walking with them, sharing each day's small joys and frustrations.
Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet Wallace's, and when he spoke, his voice was sincere and heartfelt.
"They're my family.
I've always believed that Pokémon have their own personalities and emotions. They're absolutely not tools meant only for fighting or performing.
A Trainer should respect them and try to understand them. Pokémon are simple, pure-hearted beings—if you treat them with kindness, they will respond with even more love, loyalty, and sincerity.
And the Pokémon Contest… it's a special stage. It's a place where the entire world can witness the cuteness, beauty, and handsomeness of Pokémon.
A Pokémon's worth isn't determined solely by whether it's strong in battle, how many Gym Badges it can earn, or what ranking it achieves in major tournaments. Those things were never the entirety of what they are."
After speaking, Theo lowered his head slightly in a respectful bow.
"I'm truly grateful, Champion Wallace. It was thanks to you that Pokémon Contests spread far and wide. You even created the Wallace Cup, traveling from region to region so that more people could see how adorable Pokémon really are.
I will give my all as well, to let people know that Pokémon are not creatures meant only for fighting. They are our closest companions, our partners, and our family."
Throughout Theo's words, Wallace listened silently, without interrupting even once.
But the appreciation in his gaze grew stronger and stronger.
Only when Theo finished speaking did Wallace slowly nod. In his eyes were warmth and approval interwoven, and a deeply gratified smile curled at the corners of his lips.
"Well said. Every word hit straight into my heart."
He raised his hand and gently patted Theo's shoulder, speaking with raw emotion.
"The reason I succeeded Steven as the Hoenn Champion was precisely because I wanted to use that influence to help the world understand the value of Pokémon Contests and to let more people remember and cherish the beauty of Pokémon.
Meeting a junior like you, someone who truly understands this original purpose… it makes me very happy. It means the future is in good hands."
As he spoke, Wallace's gaze drifted toward Feebas, who was enthusiastically playing with Milotic. Then he suddenly shifted the topic and looked at Theo again.
"Tell me, do you think Feebas has the potential to evolve?"
Theo's heart stirred, and he was just about to answer—
—but Wallace raised a hand, stopping him.
"Don't rush to reply."
Wallace chuckled, his tone turning patient and guiding.
"You know Magikarp, don't you?
The common little water Pokémon you can find in waters everywhere, looking silly and clumsy, seeming to know nothing except how to flop around. Because of that, many people overlook it entirely.
But once Professor Oak of Kanto published its evolution, people were shocked to learn that such an unremarkable Magikarp could evolve into the mighty Gyarados.
In Professor Oak's research, he described Magikarp's evolution as 'a metamorphosis of cells and will.'
For Magikarp to evolve into Gyarados, simply increasing its internal energy isn't enough.
Its evolution requires emotional upheaval, environmental challenges, and external stimuli that trigger a restructuring of its brain cells. Only then can it transform into Gyarados
Research data shows that some Magikarp evolve when being bullied—when their emotions erupt into intense fluctuations.
Some evolve after swimming upstream, overcoming waterfalls and harsh obstacles, achieving a kind of overwhelming confidence in themselves.
And some evolve when they sense the powerful conviction of their Trainer—triggering an explosive release of evolutionary energy."
Wallace paused. His eyes deepened.
"So you see, evolving isn't as simple as it seems.
Emotional bursts. Harsh environments. External pressure.
Even the bond with a Trainer.
Only under the guidance of all these different factors can a tiny, overlooked fish transform into the majestic Gyarados."
Theo listened quietly, absorbing every word.
And with each sentence, he felt new knowledge opening in his mind.
This explanation felt far more logical and realistic.
A Gyarados's power was so overwhelming that it became even the signature Pokémon of Lance Blackthorn, the Dragon Master of the Indigo League. Yet very, very few Trainers ever actually owned one.
If Magikarp truly evolved as easily as in the games of his past life… then wouldn't everyone just capture a Magikarp, raise it, and end up with a terrifying Gyarados?
That would be absurd.
Wallace continued.
"By now, I think you understand what I'm trying to say.
Yes—Feebas, just like Magikarp, possesses the possibility of evolution.
Its evolved form is Milotic.
But its transformation is far more difficult than Magikarp's evolution into Gyarados.
Aside from requiring a Prism Scale as an evolutionary catalyst, the most crucial factor is Feebas's internal desire for beauty.
It must possess extremely strong self-confidence—believing from the depths of its heart that it is beautiful, unique, and unparalleled. Only then does it have a chance to evolve.
But Feebas is known as one of the 'ugliest Pokémon.' It naturally feels insecure about its appearance. Helping it build confidence is already incredibly difficult.
Most Feebas only know Splash and Tackle. Their battle capabilities are extremely weak. They have no strength to give themselves confidence, and their appearance often makes them self-conscious.
Under such circumstances, developing solid self-confidence… is extraordinarily hard.
And expecting it to evolve just because a Trainer praises or encourages it?
That would be nothing short of a fantasy.
In Hoenn, there are only a handful of Trainers who have ever raised a Milotic.
Besides me, only my mentor Juan and Robert have succeeded.
Because Feebas's evolution conditions are so harsh, the League has never publicly released the evolution method. It only circulates in small circles.
The reason is simple: they fear that people would recklessly capture large numbers of Feebas, and when they fail to raise them, they'd abandon them—hurting these little Pokémon.
At the Sootopolis Gym where my mentor Juan trains many apprentices, countless students have tried raising Feebas.
But even now, aside from Robert succeeding four years ago, no one else has.
My Feebas, Robert's Feebas, and my mentor's Feebas, all had exceptional talent.
Even as Feebas, they had already learned many moves. With strong abilities as their foundation, they naturally possessed great confidence. Combined with the other conditions, they finally evolved into Milotic.
Your Feebas, however, has even greater talent than ours did.
When I held it earlier, I could feel how lively its eyes were and how full of spirit and vitality it had.
That's why I have high expectations for it.
It has a very strong chance of evolving into Milotic.
I'm telling you all this so you don't miss the opportunity due to not knowing. That would be far too unfortunate."
So that's how it is.
Theo finally understood the confusion lingering in his heart.
If he followed the evolution methods from the games of his past life, raising a Milotic wouldn't have seemed difficult.
But in reality, within this entire world of Pokémon, the number of Trainers with Milotic could be counted on two hands.
This fact gave Theo a harsh but necessary reminder:
The knowledge he held from the games in his previous world could not be fully relied upon.
Because now—he was in a real, living Pokémon world.
Pokémon had their own joys and sorrows, their own complete emotions and independent consciousness.
They could act spoiled, clingy, mischievous, or playful.
They were real, breathing lives—
not cold names and digital numbers on a screen.
(End of Chapter)