Chapter 64: The Light of Evolution (Extra - just cause)
On the surface, Eevee lay on Lapras’s back, staring fixedly at the patch of water where Raina had disappeared.
It turned toward its battling companions.
Gyarados was currently being attacked by three Tentacruel at once.
Dragonite continuously used Hurricane from the air to drive back the charging Seadra, but there were simply too many of them. Every time it repelled one wave, another immediately took its place.
Blastoise froze two Tentacool, only to be instantly overwhelmed by even more of them.
Suicune maintained a circular wall of water at the front to block the incoming attacks, but its purifying beam had only a limited effect on the Pokémon strengthened by drugs.
Eevee lowered its head, nudged open the flap of Raina’s backpack with its nose, and buried its entire head inside.
A stone glowing with blue light rolled out of the backpack.
A Water Stone.
It was the Water Stone Lapras had given to Raina.
Raina had kept it all this time, telling Eevee that it could evolve whenever it decided it was ready.
But now, it needed to evolve.
Eevee extended one paw and pressed it against the Water Stone.
Blue light erupted from the stone and completely enveloped its body.
Within the radiance, Eevee’s body began to lengthen. Its brown fur faded away, replaced by smooth blue skin.
Its tail transformed completely into the shape of a fish’s tail, its tip splitting into two translucent fins.
The moment its evolution was complete, Vaporeon raised its head and released a clear cry.
"Vaporeon!"
It then leaped directly into the sea.
Beneath the surface...
Raina was still holding Feebas tightly.
A blue figure sliced through the water.
Vaporeon moved underwater like a streak of light, the fine currents sliding smoothly across its skin.
Aqua Jet.
Vaporeon slammed directly into Tentacruel and sent it flying.
Raina’s body continued sinking uncontrollably.
Vaporeon swam beneath her and used its head to lift her onto its back.
It then accelerated and burst through the surface, gently returning Raina and Feebas to Lapras’s back.
Raina lay across Lapras’s shell. When she opened her eyes, she saw Vaporeon.
Its blue body glistened beneath the moonlight, while its fishlike tail shone with a pearlescent luster.
Raina froze.
"Eevee...?"
Vaporeon lowered its head and gently rubbed its forehead against her cheek.
"Vaporeon~"
Raina’s eyes reddened, and she wrapped both arms tightly around Vaporeon.
On a nearby reef, Asher released a long breath of relief when he saw that Raina was safe.
Honestly, had that damned System not insisted that Raina form a deep bond with that Feebas, he would never have staged such an ordeal and allowed his daughter to suffer.
Of course, even if Eevee hadn’t evolved, nothing would have happened to Raina.
He and Kyogre had been watching from beneath the sea the entire time. Apart from temporarily being unable to return to the surface, Raina had been perfectly fine.
She could even breathe normally underwater.
Beside Asher, Dragonite held the Tentacruel in its claws. The Tentacruel’s body had already been electrocuted black, and it was trembling violently.
Asher glanced at it.
"Dragonite, throw it into the Reverse World. Don’t let it die so easily."
"Dragonite~"
As you command, Boss~
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Wait, wait, wait—was that Asher?! He was watching from behind the reef this entire time?!
[Brock]: So the Seadra swarm, the Tentacruel, and that man in black—everything was under his control?
[Lance]: ...As expected, he cannot be underestimated.
[Steven]: Brother Asher really is incredible. With one sentence, he had Tentacruel thrown into the Reverse World.
[Asher]: ...
[Daisy]: What do you think, Misty? Are you satisfied with how the parallel-world Asher handled the situation?
[Misty]: ...
[Lily]: The husband-and-wife double silence~
[Violet]: Impressive! You’ve even developed a combination technique~
[Misty]: ...When exactly are the three of you coming home?
[Daisy]: Oh dear, the signal in the livestream seems rather poor~
The video continued playing.
Raina began examining Feebas.
Its eyes were already closed, and its breathing was extremely weak.
"There’s still time."
Raina reached into a separate compartment of her backpack and retrieved the potion glowing with silvery-blue light.
"Dad said the potion made from the Prism Scale can draw out the full potential of a Water-type Pokémon."
She opened the bottle and gently poured the glowing liquid into Feebas’s mouth.
Silvery-blue light enveloped Feebas’s body.
The radiance spread across its scales, traveling from its tail fin to the top of its head until its entire body was covered.
The color of its scales began to change.
Their original dull brown gradually brightened, shifting from yellow to a soft cream color.
At the same time, Feebas’s body began to lengthen, becoming slender and elegant.
Its tail fin spread open like a feathered fan. Its scales shimmered with pearlescent, rainbow-colored light beneath the moon, while long, pale-red feelers extended from its head and drifted through the sea breeze like silk.
Milotic.
It raised its head and released a long, crystalline cry, the sound spreading gently across the sea.
Every Pokémon still trapped in a frenzied state stopped moving.
The red light in the eyes of the Tentacruel and Seadra flickered unsteadily before gradually fading away.
Milotic’s song continued echoing over the sea for a long time.
Raina sat on Lapras’s back and gently stroked the top of Milotic’s head.
Milotic lowered its head, rubbed its cheek against Raina’s palm, and released a soft cry.
Suicune quietly watched the scene before tilting its head slightly and nodding toward Milotic.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"It evolved! Feebas evolved into Milotic!"
"It looks far too beautiful beneath the moonlight! Oh my god!"
"I recorded it! I’m using this scene as my screensaver!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Wallace]: I’ve finally seen it! Milotic! Milotic! Aaaaaah, it’s Milotic!
[Steven]: Wallace, what’s wrong with you? I-I’m becoming a little frightened...
[Asher]: Isn’t this exactly how you behave whenever you see a stone? What are you afraid of?
[Steven]: Is it?
[Juan]: Raina’s Milotic is certainly extraordinary, but what interests me more is this—how does the evolution brought about by Asher’s potion differ from an evolution caused by using a Prism Scale normally?
[Professor Birch]: I recall that the potion’s stated effect was to awaken the Water-type Pokémon’s own potential.
[Dawn]: Wait! Did any of you notice that Suicune nodded to Milotic just now?!
[Iris]: I saw it! I saw it! Did Suicune acknowledge Milotic?! A Legendary Pokémon acknowledged a Pokémon that had only just evolved?!
[Diantha]: This Milotic broke the Seadra swarm’s control using its song alone. Its purifying power is clearly no weaker than Suicune’s.
[Alder]: With this Milotic, I believe Raina now has what it takes to challenge for the Champion’s position.
[Lance]: ...
[Lorelei]: Oh? Lance, you haven’t truly lost confidence, have you?
[Lance]: Of course not... However, if Raina can genuinely defeat me, then it would be only natural for her to be crowned Champion. I would have no objections.