Back at the residence.
Baimu eagerly set up the inflatable pool and placed the altered-color Milotic inside.
Bang!
Water splashed everywhere.
The massive body squeezed the edge of the pool, clear water cascading out, and the shining golden scales displayed multicolored halos under the sunlight, incredibly beautiful, yet this couldn't hide the fact that it had to coil up to stay in the inflatable pool.
"Meeh?"
Milotic looked around and simply slithered out of the pool as the water flow increased, anyway it no longer had difficulty breathing out of water like before.
After all, it's a Pokémon evolved from amphibious creatures.
Baimu looked up at the Milotic standing over two meters tall, its head only about a circle and a half thinner than the heavily armored Aggron. Its enchanting light blue eyes were as big as fists, with a hint of intimidation upon close viewing.
But strictly speaking, Milotic's eight-meter body length is somewhat "overreported"; the long golden scales overlapping at its tail tip, resembling fan blades, occupy nearly a meter of length.
The remaining over seven meters isn't particularly exaggerated for its size or thickness.
At least it's quite far from the eighteen-meter Steelix.
Still within what's manageable in the house.
"Meeh~"
Milotic lowered its head, affectionately nuzzling Baimu's face, then curled its mane-like fin falling from its head around his waist.
"Whoa! So you can control your 'hair' too?"
This surprised him a bit.
But actually, Milotic's control over the mane-like fin is limited to bending; lifting or performing intricate movements is basically impossible.
Upon closer inspection, Baimu discovered something previously unnoticed when receiving the award—
Originally, Feebas had a faint fishy smell, coming from its protective body mucus and secretions. Now the fishiness was replaced by a special fragrance, which invigorates the spirit the longer it's smelled, still sourced from the secretions and mucus.
The difference between the two is comparable to one being as thick and disgusting as snot, and the other is as smooth, clear, and delicate as liquid essence.
He dabbed a little to examine it, and under sunlight, it actually displayed such a colorful mosaic glow.
Mama mia.
This guy is just like a Mary Sue heroine in old novels, transforming from an ugly duckling to a white swan, from one extreme to another.
"Meeh?"
Completely oblivious to what the trainer was doing, Milotic looked curiously.
"Nothing... Just amazed at your big transformation."
Baimu shook his head, patted its blue mane-like fin, and asked it to move back, "Let me take a closer look."
"Meeh~"
Milotic twisted back a bit, without even needing to turn its head to complete the backward movement, showing no discomfort or stiffness, indicating it's more adapted to its new body than imagined.
He was quite pleased with this, though when seeing the poor inflatable pool, he couldn't help but think:
"Should I buy a new pool?"
The remaining space in the bag is running out, some large items would have to sacrifice stored food and water to make room; ultimately, whether a larger inflatable pool is worth buying remains a question.
Anyway, the previous fish tank definitely can't fit anymore; it's retired successfully.
If shopping is required, some items bought for Mawile might need clearing, since its personal belongings occupy most of the space, even dolls take up a considerable portion—
This is the case with many dolls sent back to Pyrite Town.
Thinking of Mawile, Baimu couldn't help but feel troubled, finding common ground with this guy is really tough. Perhaps just let things take their course and wait for the "right time" to resolve it.
After all, mastering the power of Super Evolution with Aggron comes first.
"Come out, everyone! Meet our 'new' partner!"
He activated the pokeballs one by one.
Milotic felt a little shy as he opened the pokeballs, it may not care about strangers' gaze and judgment nowadays, but is very concerned about its companions' perception.
Especially Mawile and Aggron, one is whom it considers a close girlfriend, and the other has always taken great care of it.
All the Pokémon landed.
All eyes were instantly captivated by Milotic's graceful and beautiful appearance.
"Chido~"
Mawile exclaimed in admiration, reached out to touch Milotic's golden scales without hesitation, as though touching some rare treasure.
"Meeh~"
Milotic affectionately nuzzled it, then nudged the nearby Blissey, always having the best relationship among the Gorgeous Competition sisters.
"Happy~"
Blissey was full of joy.
Not far behind, Hydreigon stuck its neck out to sniff at Milotic's body scent, as a Pokémon that recognizes teammates by smell, Milotic's scent change overwhelmed it.
Is this Feebas?
It turned its head to the trainer hoping for confirmation, but upon seeing Milotic's fan-like tail fin with the corner of its eye, it instantly confirmed.
Other Hydreigons might not remember, but the frequency and amplitude of Feebas's tail fin waving is unforgettable to it, the latter's previous practice of climbing waterfalls with Aggron deeply impressed it.
"Shasa!"
Impressive!
It sniffed Milotic's scent again, recording it in its mind.
"Pory~"
Porygon looked with envy and admiration, currently the team only had itself left with the desire to evolve but still didn't, feeling somewhat pressured.
Regrettably, figuring out how to boost the final bit of trust is truly puzzling.