Sneasel's successful evolution into Weavile left Kael so excited that he didn't sleep a wink the entire night.
That evolution marked a qualitative leap in his overall combat strength. More importantly, it meant he could finally shift his focus away from Weavile for the time being—and concentrate fully on Feebas.
Lulu had evolved not long ago herself. She was a Pokémon with a two-stage evolutionary line; her final form, Gardevoir, was revered in the Hoenn region as the Psychic Queen. To reach that final stage, Lulu still needed extensive battle experience and sustained training.
Her evolution required no special item—it was simply a matter of strength accumulating naturally until it reached the tipping point.
Kael now intended to pour all of his remaining energy into Feebas.
He couldn't be certain his efforts wouldn't be in vain. After all, not every Feebas was capable of evolving. Still, whenever he thought of Milotic's magnificent, elegant, and powerful form, every bit of effort felt worthwhile.
Even if he failed in the end, Kael wouldn't regret it.
At the very least… he would have tried.
...
In the Hoenn region, Feebas also went by another nickname: "Dumbfish."
Feebas was its official name; Dumbfish was the local slang.
Its ugliness wasn't the real issue.
Its stupidity was.
Kael placed Feebas inside a one-meter-long aquarium. In front of the tank sat an open laptop, a video already playing—footage Kael had obtained from the Sootopolis Gym's main computer.
Onscreen stood a middle-aged man wearing ornate blue ceremonial attire. He had neatly groomed mustaches curling outward and two distinct white forelocks rising sharply from his temples.
This man was no ordinary figure.
His name was Juan, the Gym Leader of Sootopolis City—and the mentor who had personally trained Wallace, the current Champion of the Hoenn region.
Juan himself was both a powerful Trainer and a master Pokémon Coordinator, excelling in both disciplines. Despite his lack of fame across other regions, he was far from insignificant.
It was simply that Wallace had surpassed his teacher—completely eclipsing him.
In the video, Juan wore a gentle smile as he communicated with a Feebas swimming in the pool before him…
At first glance, this Feebas looked no different from any other—still painfully offensive to the eye. Yet Kael immediately noticed the crucial difference.
Its eyes.
Unlike ordinary Feebas, whose gaze was perpetually vacant and dull, this one held something else.
There was a spark of liveliness within them.
No inferiority.
No timidity.
Instead—spirit, confidence, even a quiet pride.
Like a well-cared-for young lady raised in comfort.
That was exactly the impression Kael got.
Juan crouched down and gently stroked the small head Feebas extended toward him. His expression turned solemn as he retrieved a heart-shaped, iridescent scale from his robes and slowly held it out.
Feebas's expression brightened instantly.
With a powerful flick of its tail, it leapt from the water and swallowed the scale whole. When it splashed back into the pool, it froze for a brief moment—as if savoring something—
Then it darted swiftly toward the bottom.
Evolution light erupted, flooding the entire pool.
Juan visibly relaxed. His mustache twitched upward as his good mood became impossible to hide.
Only a few seconds remained in the video now.
And then—
A dreamlike Pokémon appeared on screen, shaped like a serpentine goddess.
Its beauty was enough to steal breath and captivate the soul—not the beauty of attraction between sexes, but the pure, transcendent allure born from the finest things in existence.
A long, elegant body like flowing silk.
Cream-colored skin transitioning into red-and-blue scales toward the tail.
A four-petaled, fan-shaped tail reminiscent of ancient dragons.
From its brow extended crimson feelers, like a natural crown.
Even more astonishing—its fins resembled cascading red hair, draping over its shoulders like that of a human maiden.
The video ended.
Seven minutes in total.
Seven minutes earlier, it had still been a Feebas that challenged all aesthetic sensibilities.
And yet in those seven minutes, it had transformed into something so unreal, so miraculous.
Kael was certain—
If this footage were released online, it would cause an uproar.
Feebas's value would skyrocket overnight. Poaching groups would scour rivers and lakes in a frenzy.
Because Milotic's beauty was something no aristocratic lady could resist.
Because Milotic was the perfect Pokémon for Pokémon Contests—able to score highly without even moving.
Every Coordinator dreamed of owning one.
That much was beyond doubt.
...
"I… I can also… become like that?"
A timid, fragile childlike voice echoed within Kael's mind.
This was the fifth time the Milotic evolution footage had been played.
And at last, Lulu's constant use of telepathy received a response.
Kael, who had nearly fallen asleep on the couch, jolted upright and stared at the aquarium.
"Was that… you speaking?"
"Yes… yes…"
Feebas sounded frightened—but for the first time, it wasn't silent. It nodded hesitantly.
Lulu linked Kael's and Feebas's brainwaves through telepathy, allowing Trainer and Pokémon to understand each other directly—without a single word spoken aloud.
***************************
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