Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 407 Milotic

It wasn't until the white boat approached and the backlight dissipated that Ruby finally saw his face clearly.

Young, gentle, and even with a hint of—helplessness in his smile?

No, wait a minute.

This face—

"You you you you you—!"

Ruby froze for a second, then his whole body trembled as if he had been set on fire!

"You, you're...you're the handsome researcher! No! You're Dr. Shiraishu! That Dr. Shiraishu!?"

He darted to Bai Zhou in two steps, so fast that Bai Zhou instinctively took a half step back, afraid that the child would pounce on him in his excitement.

"It really is you! I've seen your picture in Pokémon Age of Heroes! No, you're much more handsome than in the picture!"

"That Dr. Shirafune who discovered a new type, proposed the theory of Legendary Pokémon Authority, and shared his research on Legendary Pokémon at the summit!"

"The youngest principal investigator at Professor Oak's lab! Hailed as a rising star in academia," and a once-in-a-century genius in Pokémon research—Dr. Shirafusa!

Lu Bi spoke at an extremely fast pace, recounting Bai Zhou's entire resume in one breath, his eyes filled with fervent light.

"My name is Ruby! Can you give me your autograph? No, no, no, let's shake hands first! Yes, let's shake hands first!"

Bai Zhou was a little embarrassed by his barrage of flattery.

This kid's intelligence gathering ability is just too strong!

There were some things he himself had almost forgotten, but Ruby remembered them perfectly.

However, he didn't forget his main business.

Bypassing Ruby, who was still in a state of agitation, Bai Zhou quickly walked to the side of the unconscious Shafiya and squatted down to check her injuries.

My left arm was cut by a rock, and I had several abrasions on my legs. The most serious injury was on my back, where I lost a lot of blood.

"Gardedor, Healing Wave."

A flash of white light, and the elegant Gardevoir appeared in the cave, gathering a warm light between its hands, gently enveloping Sapphire.

The pain on Shafie's face gradually subsided, and her wounds began to heal visibly.

A moment later, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"This is----

She stared blankly at the cave wall above her head, then turned her head and saw the white boat.

A face she had only ever seen on the news and on the covers of academic journals.

"Hakushu—Doctor—?"

Shafia muttered to herself, thinking she was dreaming or hallucinating from her severe injuries.

She only snapped back to reality when she caught a glimpse of that annoying guy in the white hat next to her, looking at her with a "you're so lucky" expression.

"Dr. Shirafusa!? It really is you!?"

She sat up abruptly, completely disregarding the fact that she had just been unconscious.

"I'm Sapphire! Professor Birch's daughter! Your fan! Your biggest fan! I've been following you since you published your first paper on the Fairy attribute!"

"Don't get excited, rest for a bit, let Gardevoir continue the treatment."

Bai Zhou's lips twitched slightly.

These two kids are both incredibly talkative.

Each one was more enthusiastic than the last.

But then again, when did he become so famous?

He felt like he hadn't done anything particularly remarkable; he'd just been mentored by Professor Oak and published a few papers, and incidentally saved the world a little something.

Meanwhile, Ruby's attention was completely drawn to Gardevoir beside Shiraishu.

He stared blankly at Gardevoir, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes filled with amazement.

That elegant figure, those flowing lines, that noble and serene aura—

"So beautiful!"

He muttered to himself, his eyes unblinking.

"Such beauty is enough to win the Masters division championship! No, even the Masters division doesn't deserve it! This is simply the ultimate partner every trainer dreams of!"

He turned his head sharply to look at the little Ralts at his feet, his tone more serious than ever before.

"Lulu, do you see that? That's our goal! One day, you too will become as beautiful, as elegant, and as radiant as it!"

Ralts nodded as if it understood, and looked at Gardevoir with longing in its eyes.

Ruby's gaze fell on the Growlithe again, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration once more.

"That fiery wheel attack was perfect in angle, force, and timing! It ensured a fatal blow while minimizing energy waste, and the flames were so beautifully formed—it was awesome!"

"Dr. Shiraishu is actually a master-level trainer?! No, this isn't just master-level, this is legendary!"

The Growlithe was a little embarrassed by the praise, and its tail wagged unconsciously.

Shafia was still trying to organize her thoughts, hoping to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to say a few more words to her idol.

As soon as she opened her mouth to call out "Dr. Shiraishu," Ruby squeezed in front of her with lightning speed.

"Hiroshi Shirafuji—no! Senior Shirafuji!"

Ruby's eyes were frighteningly bright, making Bai Zhou feel a little scared.

"Your Pokémon are all so perfect! Whether it's the Growlithe from the battle just now or this Gardevoir, each one is like a work of art!"

"Could I see your other Pokémon? Please! Just one look! I promise, just one look! I'll even touch them!"

His tone was so sincere, it was like he was proposing marriage; he was practically kneeling down.

Shafie's temper flared up instantly.

She finally had a chance to say a few words to Dr. Bai Zhou, but this guy kept chattering away beside her!

"Can you please be quiet!"

Shafia grabbed Ruby by the back of his collar, trying to pull him back.

"Professor saved us, and you didn't even say thank you, you were just busy watching Pokémon! Did your Growlithe eat all your manners?!"

"What did I do? I'm expressing the highest level of respect!"

That's harassment!

"I was just appreciating it!"

"I admire you, you big rascal!"

The two started arguing again, pushing and shoving each other, neither willing to give in.

Seeing that the conversation was about to escalate into a physical fight, Shafia clenched her fists, and Ruby, not to be outdone, rolled up his sleeves.

Bai Zhou stood awkwardly to the side, looking at these two clowns, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Coordination trainer?

What kind of coordination trainer is he?

He only ever ensures that his Pokémon are nutritionally balanced and healthy.

Then let them grow wildly, let them develop in whichever direction they want, and never force them.

I never expected that this "free-range" approach would result in such a beautiful outcome.

As for the techniques of a trainer, he knew nothing about them.

However, the food is indeed top-notch.

"Um—watching Pokémon is no problem."

Bai Zhou reluctantly interrupted the two's "friendly exchange" and simply called out the other companions to stop them from making a fuss.

Gengar emerged from the shadows, yawned widely, and floated lazily in mid-air with an expression that said, "Who disturbed my sleep?"

Young Kiras was still a little dazed when he came out of the ball. He shook his head and looked around the unfamiliar environment with curiosity.

The last fish to appear, the Ugly Fish, gracefully and slowly descended into the nearby puddle, displaying its perfect form.

As for the big guys—

The Sky-Siding mount remained hanging around Bai Zhou's neck as an ornament, motionless, not even bothering to lift its eyelids.

Zygarde has just arrived in the Hoenn region and needs to receive local cells and establish a sensory network, so he is temporarily not around and is "patrolling" various corners of the city.

As for Zeraora—this guy said he was going to travel on his own in a new place, but Shirashu could sense that it was actually just loitering nearby, pretending to be something it wasn't.

Ruby radiated a unique glow upon seeing the newly appeared Pokémon.

He released his grip on Sapphire's hair almost instantly, and sprang to Gengar like a spring.

He looked around, muttering to himself.

"Gengar! That agile figure, that cunning yet slightly arrogant gaze—it's definitely the top tier of the handsome and intelligent group!"

"Champion-level! No, it's beyond champion-level!"

Gengar, who was still dazed, immediately perked up upon hearing the words "Master's Aura".

It puffed out its chest, crossed its arms, and struck what it thought was a very cool pose.

"Genga!"

Ruby then turned to Young Gilas, crouched down, and examined him closely.

"That baby Gilas! It's the one from the Johto All-Around Championship! I remember! It knocked out Master Shiba's monstrous strength with a headbutt! The champion of the Handsome & Strong category!"

Young Kiras puffed out his little chest. Although he didn't quite understand what he was saying, he felt that he was being praised, so that made sense.

"Yo-yo-yo!"

"Senior Shirafusa is truly a master-level Pokémon trainer! The level of training these Pokémon is simply unheard of!"

Ruby turned to White Boat again and suddenly rushed to White Boat.

"Senior! Please take me as your apprentice! I want to become a great Coordinator Trainer like you!"

Bai Zhou opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something.

But Ruby's gaze fell on the ugly fish, who was still trying to maintain an elegant posture.

His entire being seemed to have been suddenly drained of energy, and he fell into an eerie silence.

The ugly fish maintained its head held high, arrogantly believing that the human was simply stunned by its unparalleled beauty.

It even thrashed about on the rock a couple of times, showing off its unparalleled figure.

It is a perfect being, recognized by its owner, just like its owner!

Humans will surely be captivated by its beauty!

Ruby opened his mouth, remained silent for a long while, and finally managed to utter a sentence.

"So ugly————"

The ugly fish froze instantly, and the splash of water solidified in mid-air.

Ruby probably felt that it wasn't appropriate to say that, after all, this was Shiraishu's Pokémon, and Shiraishu had just saved him.

He thought for a moment, then tried to make amends and salvage the situation.

Uh... well... how should I put it... actually... there isn't really... it's just... if we were to force it... it would barely, barely qualify...

He became increasingly guilty as he spoke, and his voice grew softer and softer.

"If Senior Shirashu were to personally direct—we should be able to win an award—probably—"

He tried to make his tone sound sincere, but even Shafie, who was standing next to him, could tell that he wasn't being honest.

Ugly Fish felt something snap in its head with a "snap".

He said it was ugly.

Ugly Fish thought it might have misheard.

It's a Pokémon approved by its owner! It's a perfect, unparalleled, one-of-a-kind Feebas! How could saying it's imperfect be tantamount to saying its owner is imperfect!

This is absolutely intolerable!

An unprecedented emotion surged within the Ugly Fish, burning it with fever!

It wasn't anger, nor was it resentment; it was something deeper.

It felt like something was about to break out of its shell.

"Ugly Fish?"

Bai Zhou noticed the change in Ugly Fish's emotions and was about to step forward to comfort it.

A blinding white light burst forth from the ugly fish!

The light grew stronger and brighter, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime!

Ruby was forced back two steps by the light, his mouth opening and closing, unable to utter a single word.

"This is... the light of evolution?!"

Shafia was also stunned, staring blankly at the light.

In the light, the ugly fish's body began to stretch and expand, its originally inconspicuous outline gradually unfolding, becoming slender and elegant.

The white light gradually faded away.

A serpentine Pokémon, predominantly creamy white with deep pink and bright yellow patterns, gracefully hovered in mid-air.

It looked down at Ruby with a noble and proud posture, its icy blue eyes filled with disdain and provocation, its arrogance overflowing.

It is precisely the Pokémon hailed as the most beautiful—

Milotic.

Thanks to the already enormous size of the dominant Feebas, which far surpasses that of its kind, the evolved Milotic is also much larger and more awe-inspiring than its normal size.

The illusory shadows cast by the sunlight on it add a sacred and mysterious beauty to it.

Ruby opened his mouth wide and couldn't close it for a long time.

Bai Zhou stood aside, looking at his newly evolved Milotic, lost in thought.

So—evolution was caused by getting angry?

Milotic turned and floated back to White Boat's side, nuzzling his hand with its head before proudly raising its head and swishing its tail.

Bai Zhou stroked its smooth, cool head and couldn't help but smile.

"Well, you've been holding back for so long, and finally decided to evolve?"

"youngest----"

Milotic let out a soft, coquettish hum and turned its head to the side.

But the slender body subconsciously surrounded the white boat, as if it were both being coquettish and asserting its dominance.

"So beautiful—"

Ruby finally snapped out of his shock, staring intently at Milotic, his mouth practically watering.

"There are such beautiful Pokémon in this world—their physique, their color, their elegant curves—they are simply the most perfect creation of heaven!"

He took two steps forward, his eyes growing increasingly fervent.

"And it was actually that one from before—that one—"

Ruby glanced at the white boat, then at Milotic.

He simply couldn't reconcile the clumsy, bubble-blowing, ugly fish from before with the breathtakingly beautiful Milotic before him.

The contrast is too great!

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