Chapter 387

In the white light.

The so-called most beautiful Pokémon gradually came into being.

Its originally sparse tail fin continuously elongated into a splendid, petal-like scale fan; the crude, fragmented fish scales transformed into beautiful, hexagonal long scales.

Its upper body also lengthened; the thin, emaciated fish head became a full, elegant, slender cranium; the pectoral fins gradually retracted, while filament-like antennae sprouted from both sides of its head and hung down, and two long whiskers above its brow grew upward, forming a heart shape.

Its dorsal fin became a single, straight horn pointing skyward; the dull black eye rings turned into lively, bright pale blue eyes.

Finally.

The light faded.

The Shiny Milotic stretched its radiant, captivating body; its golden and red scales shimmered under the sunlight now revealed after the clouds parted, radiating rainbow-like hues, while its creamy upper torso and pale blue, hair-like fins exuded a unique sense of serenity.

It gazed down at all beings watching it, then lazily closed its shimmering, autumn-water-like eyes.

Inside the arena.

Complete silence.

Even the most restless hearts now settled into peace.

The Gyarados in the pool had long stopped spinning; the Pelipper had landed on the water's surface; they and their Trainers all looked up.

In their gazes lay both awe and uncontainable longing and admiration.

As if their souls had been stolen by the Shiny Milotic.

Suddenly.

Drip—!

A shrill, whistle-like sound.

The water tornado dispersed; the Shiny Milotic fell from the sky but was quickly caught and held beside it by a Happiny using Psychic. The audience finally snapped out of their daze.

Some instinctively touched their cold cheeks and realized they had been crying without noticing.

That was incredible.

It had been so long since anyone had seen such a brilliant performance!

And this was no scripted scene from a film or TV drama—it was a real, live performance in a Grand Festival contest! Actually happening!

Onstage.

Vivian gently and swiftly wiped away her tears; the three judges also straightened their postures.

"Time's up!"

She shouted into the microphone, causing everyone to instinctively look toward the giant screen.

Including Ling Juan, standing on the opposite side of the arena.

Clearly visible beneath their portraits, Ling Juan's score had been completely deducted, while Baimu still had over a quarter remaining.

This proves that Ling Juan's combination moves were truly high-scoring, especially when successfully executed.

Had the Shiny Feebas not broken through the Reverse-Scale Water Tornado with unyielding willpower, and had it not evolved to achieve a complete reversal, the score difference from earlier deductions alone might have decided the outcome.

It was a victory on a tightrope.

Vivian loudly announced the match result.

"The winner of the finals is—Mr. Baimu and his Pokémon partners! Let's congratulate them on winning the Autumn Leaf Grand Festival!"

Waves of applause rose and fell like a tide, and cheers so loud they seemed ready to lift the half-covered dome filled the arena; spectators stood and clapped frantically, the cheerleaders forgetting to dance, weeping as they clapped.

Screams, whistles, praises, and shouts were offered to the Grand Festival stage, to the contestants and Pokémon who moved them.

Fireworks boomed continuously overhead; countless ribbons fluttered down like snow; celebratory music played over the loudspeakers.

"We won!"

Baimu embraced the gently smiling Happiny and the exhausted yet immensely proud Shiny Milotic, and said in a quiet but resolute voice: "We won!"

"Happy!"

"Miklo~"

Their exuberant voices sounded like moving musical notes.

For the Shiny Milotic, this Grand Festival battle was as significant as the day it broke through the Longmen Waterfall—a moment to be remembered for life.

And it had not disappointed its Trainer, its companions, or itself—it had successfully completed the final step of reversal—

Evolved!

A broader future awaited it.

Thinking of this, the Shiny Milotic perked up, as if forgetting its physical exhaustion.

"Congratulations. I lost with full respect."

A soft female voice spoke.

Baimu and the two Pokémon turned their heads and saw, to their surprise, that Ling Juan had already arrived beside them via the stage edge; in the water floated the Gyarados with its massive head raised and the Pelipper resting on the surface.

They stared fixedly at the lazy Shiny Milotic, their eyes filled with unhidden longing and adoration.

No wonder it was called the most charming Pokémon—in just minutes, it had made both Pokémon deeply infatuated.

"Thank you. Your two Pokémon are incredibly strong, and the combination moves you used left me in awe."

Baimu sincerely praised: "I hope we can battle again next time!"

Combination moves of different types are often dozens of times harder to master than those of the same type; if they involve type advantages, the difficulty becomes even more extreme.

The three combination moves used by the Gyarados and Pelipper were forged through countless nights and days of grueling practice.

Baimu deeply admired Ling Juan, for he himself had not yet fully mastered such techniques with his Pokémon.

Everyone likes to hear praise.

Ling Juan was no exception.

She had assumed Baimu's personality was more arrogant, judging from his battle style, where he sometimes showed unwavering trust in his Pokémon and a certain certainty about future outcomes.

It seemed as if everything would unfold exactly as he imagined.

Such a person might not be easy to get along with—

Lingjuan initially thought so, but the actual reaction left her deeply surprised and immensely delighted.

"Thank you for your praise—I look forward to our next battle!"

The two extended their hands and lightly shook.

At that moment, host Vivian hurried over to summon Baimu to receive his award.

The latter nodded in acknowledgment. "Excuse me."

"Go claim the honor that is yours!" Lingjuan replied with a smile. After Baimu and his two Pokémon left, she once again wore an expression of regret.

A gentleman of such outstanding qualities—pity he is still too young.

Perhaps I could become his fan?

That way, I can look forward to his future growth.

Lingjuan turned to her two Pokémon and noticed their gazes still fixed on the retreating silhouette of the Shiny Milotic. She couldn't help but laugh: "Stop staring! It's gone!"

"Roar~"

"Pehli~"

Gyarados and Skarmory sheepishly withdrew their gazes.

The Shiny Milotic, which evolved through the transformation of its own soul and will, truly differs from ordinary Milotic that evolve via beautiful scales.

At least, when they had seen Milotic before, they never felt such strong attraction.

——

On the award stage.

Happiny and the Shiny Milotic stood on either side behind Baimu.

Patstein, with his gray hair, held out a tray bearing a pink ribbon badge. "Congratulations on winning the Leaf Conference. Here is the Leaf Conference ribbon badge."

"Thank you."

He took the ribbon badge, exchanged a glance with the Happiny on his right, then turned and hung it around the Shiny Milotic's neck.

"Miiro?"

The Shiny Milotic stared in astonishment at the ribbon badge on its chest—happy, yet shook its head toward its trainer and Happiny. "Miiro~"

This ribbon badge was not won solely by it. Even if the first round had nothing to do with it, without Happiny's tireless assistance in the final battle, it could never have broken through that water vortex.

The opportunity was given to it by Happiny—the Shiny Milotic knew this well.

Its inner pride would not allow it to claim this honor alone.

Carefully, the Shiny Milotic used its golden tail fin to remove the pink ribbon badge and placed it back in its trainer's hand, smiling with crinkled eyes. "Miiro~"

Everyone around, including Baimu, froze in surprise.

Looking only at Milotic's photo, some might struggle to understand how this long serpent could be called the most beautiful Pokémon in the world—but only through direct contact could one truly appreciate the charm radiating from within, like a law of beauty.

Even without the 【Charming Body】 ability, its beauty remains undiminished.

Anyone or any Pokémon who has ever interacted with it dares not say Milotic is "not beautiful."

"It's truly beautiful."

Patstein sighed. "If that performance had been the first round, I would have given it a perfect score without hesitation! A life defiantly ascending against all odds, an evolution that shakes the world—I find it impossible to imagine any performance surpassing it in either concept or expression."

"Well said!"

Liu Se coolly twirled a strand of hair.

"The comeback from Feebas to Milotic and Happiny's perfect support were both brilliant. Clearly, you've nurtured them with great care."

Miss Qiao smiled and lightly clapped her hands. Everyone has their favorite Pokémon, and the Joys of Hoenn undoubtedly favor their Happiny nurses most.

Baimu thanked them again, raised the ribbon badge high for all the waiting spectators to see, and bowed deeply.

The Leaf Conference officially came to a perfect close.

Only two ribbon badges remain before he can enter the Grand Festival. If we subtract the one from the Milotic Cup, he needs only one more Brilliant Contest to qualify.

Back in the preparation room.

The moment he opened his phone, he found his messages exploding in volume.

The most numerous were from Liuqi.

This internet-genius girl had sent over a hundred messages, all about the Shiny Milotic—crying over why she hadn't made it to the venue, and moved to tears by Feebas's performance in the finals.

Besides her, there were also messages from Xijiana, Chen Ya from Meteor Village, Shan Nian far away in Orre, and Captain Huoyan of Team Magma—the girl had rarely messaged him before.

Xiao Guang!

Ah, this girl finally checked her phone—and sent all sorts of weird emoji packs. Looks like she's not quite a mechanical Bai Chi.

Following their leads, Baimu found the video of the Leaf Conference's live performance climbing into the top fifty trending posts on Pokémon blogs, its views and discussion rising rapidly.

Posted just over twenty minutes ago, its clicks and topic popularity had skyrocketed to absurd levels.

Meaning that less than ten minutes after the match ended, some highly skilled technician or Pokémon fan had already edited and uploaded the HD video online.

Thus triggering a massive response.

There was no helping it.

Brilliant Contests have grown increasingly popular in recent years, and everyone loves watching Pokémon evolution—plus, the filming and editing were exceptionally skilled.

Even different camera angles captured the shocking moment of Feebas climbing the water vortex and evolving.

Baimu glanced at the uploader's name—

【Skarmory Fan Club】.

Hmm…

Is this the fan group that only ever notified the main person once?

Of course Baimu wasn't completely unaware of the "Big Mouth Baby Fan Club"—he had even infiltrated the "enemy camp" quite early on—but so far they had only come to bother him once.

Even though they had his phone number.

And the fact that there was no commercial activity involved was also very satisfying to Baimu; he didn't want to inexplicably become someone's spokesperson or make money for anyone.

He had met the current president twice—she was the owner of that handmade perfume shop called Kitaya Ne.

"A fan club, huh… will it end up becoming the Milotic, Blissey, and Big Mouth Baby Fan Club?" Baimu was a little curious whether they would actually change the name going forward.

But after this Autumn Leaves Contest, his fame could be considered re-established, even more exaggerated than after the Kaina Contest.

So the question arose.

How long did he have to stay in the preparation room this time before he could leave?

The answer was—

Ten minutes.

Because Baimu successfully got into Officer Jenny's car—she and her colleagues were maintaining order at the main entrance of the venue, preventing the hundred-plus people and Pokémon waiting for him to come out from causing a stampede.

During that time, when she came in to use the restroom, Baimu caught her and asked for help.

And then everything that followed was perfectly logical.

Officer Jenny sent him to the Pokémon Center, while the other officers could just persuade the spectators and reporters surrounding the venue to disperse, completing this tedious task.

Killing several birds with one stone.

"Good luck! I'll be looking forward to your performance in other Pokémon Showcase Contests!"

Officer Jenny clenched her fist and waved it, and the Growlithe beside her let out an "Awoo!" along with her.

"I will."

Baimu nodded.

Having just gotten permission to pet the police dog to his heart's content, he was a bit reluctant to leave right now… Growlithe really is cute, especially the fur on its head and chest—so soft and warm.

But unfortunately, there are too many cute Pokémon in the world for him to attend to all of them right now.

Baimu put on his mask and hat, handed the Pokémon that had appeared in the Pokémon Showcase Contest—such as Big Mouth Baby—to Nurse Blissey, sat down by the window, and opened the Pokédex to browse the gains from the shiny Milotic's evolution.

【Pokémon: Milotic】

【Type: Water】

【Gender: Female】

【Height: 835cm/221.3kg】

【Ability: Competitive】

【Level: 46】

【Moves: Tackle/Fury Attack/Haze/Mist/Charm】

【Attract/Ice Beam/Secret Power/Scald/Waterfall】

【Water Pulse/Round/Aqua Ring/Refresh】

It actually learned four moves at once?

Baimu was quite surprised—he hadn't expected the shiny Milotic's transformation to be so astonishing, learning moves in bunches as well.

But among these four moves, only Refresh and Aqua Ring were worth looking forward to.

Scald was learned while soaking in the hot springs at Kuchiba Town, and Waterfall was a gift from climbing the Longmen Waterfall… Speaking of which, despite not having used it many times, Secret Power's type turned out to be Electric.

The power isn't high but it's serviceable.

"Great prospects in every aspect." Baimu fished the Mystic Water out of his pocket—this thing had been sitting around for a while, and no matter how he thought about it, only Milotic was the most suitable.

Now that it had completed its evolution, it could just be given as a congratulatory gift.

Not bad, not bad~