The Final Piece of Milotic's Puzzle

After considering Tyrantrum's evolution, Lin Mo turned and gently scooped the Feebas playing nearby into his arms.

The little one clearly enjoyed the affection, meekly nestling into the crook of his arm.

Its slick tail fin occasionally brushed lightly against his wrist, carrying a cool, damp touch that felt so pleasant he was reluctant to move his hand away.

Tyrantrum saw this and toddled over on its short little legs. Its round eyes gazed at Lin Mo as it let out soft, needy whimpers, clearly asking to be held too.

Lin Mo chuckled and simply sat down on the floor, gathering both little ones into his arms.

Lin Mo opened a video on his phone. On the screen appeared Wallace's Milotic, performing the opening act of a past Pokémon Contest.

In the circular water arena, Milotic's creamy-white body traced smooth, graceful arcs through the clear water, while the pink fin-like wings on its head fluttered and unfurled like soft ribbons.

Waves spread quietly outward, intertwining with Ice Beam to weave a crystalline curtain of shimmering light.

With a gentle flick of its tail fin, countless fine droplets were tossed into the air. Under the stage lights, refracted through the icy mirrored curtain, they gave off dazzling halos.

The audience's applause and cheers surged forth, passionate and vivid, as though the boiling atmosphere of the venue could be felt through the screen.

Feebas's gaze was instantly locked onto the display. Its round eyes widened to their limit, and even its breathing grew lighter, as if afraid to disturb the breathtaking sight on screen.

Tyrantrum also craned its head toward Milotic's fluttering tail fin, its little mind full of obsession. It hadn't managed to bite it today. What a shame! Something that pretty might have a special flavor!

The more it thought about it, the more drool trickled from the corner of its mouth, dripping down its chin onto Lin Mo's sleeve. It smacked its lips without even noticing.

Tyrantrum grew more tempted the longer it watched. Its short legs kicked inside Lin Mo's arms, and it suddenly opened its mouth wide and lunged at the phone screen.

It let out a soft "Awoo!" clearly unable to let go of the fact that it had not tasted Milotic's tail fin today.

Lin Mo reacted immediately, reaching out to gently press down its head and stop it. Tyrantrum twisted its body unwillingly, still shoving its big head forward.

Left with no choice, Lin Mo carried it aside and dug the Pokémon Food out of his backpack to satisfy its craving.

Meanwhile, Feebas remained quietly where it was, paying no attention to Tyrantrum's little commotion. Its round eyes were glued to the Milotic on the screen, and it could barely bear to blink.

"Feebas, when you saw Milotic in the lounge today, did you really like it?"

Lin Mo walked over and asked gently, his fingertips lightly stroking the scale on its back that had already turned half purple.

Feebas immediately nodded hard, rubbing its head against his palm. The envy in its eyes was nearly overflowing.

At that moment, Milotic spread its tail fin in the video, its glittering scales flashing with a dreamlike sheen.

Feebas was instantly entranced. It subconsciously imitated the movement with a gentle sway of its own tail fin, as though it wished to possess that same beauty.

Seeing its expression, Lin Mo paused the video, brought the screen closer, and pointed at Milotic in the image.

"Do you know? That's your evolved form."

Feebas abruptly raised its head. Its eyes were filled with disbelief, its round eyes widened to the utmost.

It tilted its head, seemingly trying to confirm whether his words were true. Could it really become something so elegant and beautiful?

"Of course it's true. Why would I lie to you?"

Smiling, Lin Mo gently picked Feebas up and carried it to the mirror in the room so it could see the scale on its back more clearly.

"Look at this scale on your body. This is a scale from Milotic's tail! If you couldn't evolve into one, how could you fuse with this scale?"

Following Lin Mo's finger, Feebas looked toward its back. The purple portion of the Prism Scale had already spread to the center, blending perfectly with its own scales.

The remaining portion that had yet to fuse shimmered with rainbow light, and its luster indeed bore a striking resemblance to the gleam of Milotic's tail fin in the video.

It froze for a moment, staring carefully at that scale in the mirror. The confusion in its eyes was gradually replaced by a bright light.

Lin Mo continued.

"During today's Pokémon Contest, when you performed, the audience was cheering for you. Did you hear them?"

Feebas's tail fin swayed happily. It clearly still remembered the scene—the rising applause and cheers had filled its heart with pride and joy unlike anything it had ever felt before.

"If, at the next Pokémon Contest, you evolved into Milotic on stage and spread your beautiful tail fin in front of all the spectators, what do you think that scene would be like?"

There was a hint of coaxing in Lin Mo's voice as he guided Feebas to imagine it.

Feebas's eyes instantly lit up with astonishing brilliance. It instinctively looked at the frozen image of Milotic on Lin Mo's phone, then quickly glanced at its own body in the mirror.

Its tiny mind had already begun sketching out the scene Lin Mo described.

The spotlight would shine steadily upon it, soft white light enveloping its body. Its tail fin would become broad and beautiful, gleaming with colorful light. With a gentle sweep, it would display its sparkling scales from every angle to all the spectators below.

Those spectators would stare at its tail fin in fascination, while thunderous applause and endless waves of praise nearly blew the roof off the venue...

The more it imagined it, the more excited Feebas became. It wriggled restlessly in Lin Mo's arms, its little tail fin rapidly slapping against his arm until even Lin Mo was having trouble holding the excited little thing.

"You'll be even more beautiful than it. Remember, you're a one-of-a-kind Shiny Pokémon. No other Pokémon can compare to you!"

Hearing "one of a kind" and "even more beautiful," Feebas seemed to be filled with energy. Its round eyes shone brightly enough to reflect the light.

As Lin Mo praised, encouraged, and inspired Feebas while helping it imagine its future evolution into Milotic, a gurgling sound suddenly came from beside them.

It was Tyrantrum. The little one had already devoured an entire bag of Pokémon Food and was now sitting nearby with its ears perked up and head tilted, listening to Lin Mo. Its little eyes were filled with innocent curiosity.

It stared intently at Feebas's constantly swaying tail fin. Who knew what strange idea had formed in its little head? It suddenly lunged forward, opened its mouth wide, and chomped down on Feebas's tail!

The sudden bite made Feebas shudder from head to tail!

It instinctively flapped its tail rapidly, a series of "smack, smack" blows landing directly on Tyrantrum's face.

Lin Mo watched the two little ones squabble helplessly, but a plan had already formed in his heart.

Now that he had painted a picture of Feebas's future, the next step was to keep instilling that vision in it, constantly stirring its longing for beauty.

Then, at a Pokémon Contest, it would complete the most dazzling transformation.

Just as Lin Mo was about to separate the two little ones, a message from Steven came through on his phone.

"The Pokémon Contest is over. Which city are you planning to go to next? Come by Devon Corporation once more before you leave. My father wants to see you again..."