"Ash, good luck! ×2!"
"Ash, good luck! ×2!"
"Mhm, don't worry."
Ash nodded confidently. There wasn't the slightest trace of nervousness on his face.
Without any hesitation, he immediately headed toward the entrance tunnel leading to the arena.
…
"Next, please welcome Contestant No.24's Pokémon, Feebas, for its one-minute showcase!"
"WOOOOOO!!"
"ASH!! ASH!!"
"ASH!! ASH!!"
"FEEBAS!! FEEBAS!!"
"FEEBAS!! FEEBAS!!"
The moment the audience heard Feebas's name, they instantly realized that Ash was taking the stage.
A deafening wave of cheers swept through the entire stadium.
"Splash~!"
"Gulu~!"
The underwater valve beneath the Water Cube arena opened.
A silver-white figure shot out like a streak of light.
The Feebas that emerged was covered from head to tail in dazzling silver.
Its scales glittered brilliantly under the stage lights.
Although everyone knew it was a Feebas—
After three rounds of meticulous makeup artistry, there was hardly anything left of the "ugly fish" image people associated with the species.
Its silver scales shimmered with breathtaking radiance.
In fact—
Standing beside Clarissa's golden Magikarp from earlier, it almost gave off a strange sense of compatibility.
A silver fish and a golden fish.
The audience immediately went wild.
"It's silver! A silver Feebas!"
"Oh my god, it's gorgeous!"
"I knew Ash would give Feebas another completely new makeup style!"
"This is beautiful!"
"Seriously, Ash is ridiculously talented."
"He's an incredible Trainer."
"He's a business genius."
"And somehow, despite being a boy, his makeup skills are better than mine!"
"What kind of treasure of a person is he?!"
"Exactly!"
"Just look at Feebas's makeup design!"
"It's so elegant!"
"He's honestly comparable to some of the world's top beauty designers."
"That's so true."
"The purple makeup from the first round was mysterious and noble."
"The pink makeup from the second round was sweet and dreamlike."
"And now this silver makeup for the semifinals is pure and elegant."
"It's stunning."
"I still haven't gotten enough of the first look, and now there's another masterpiece."
"And every single design is beautiful!"
"It's impossible to look away."
"I wish Ash would publish a Feebas makeup artbook."
"There's no way he only designed these three styles."
"Definitely not."
"I've seen his Pokégram posts before."
"He uploaded lots of photos of Feebas in different makeup styles."
"They were all gorgeous."
"I wonder what makeup he'll use in the finals."
"I can't wait!"
"Same!"
"+1!"
"+1!"
The discussion spread through the audience like wildfire.
Feebas was already one of the most popular Pokémon in the contest.
Now, this pure silver look made it appear noble and elegant.
Combined with the "silver-and-gold pair" image people had formed after seeing Magikarp earlier—
The audience simply couldn't stop cheering.
…
However—
Feebas's performance wasn't just about appearing on stage.
The competition had already reached the semifinals.
Like the shiny Magikarp, the only moves Feebas could publicly reveal were Splash and Tackle.
Even so—
There was still room for creativity.
Feebas spun gracefully in place.
Then—
It suddenly leapt from the water.
Its tail flicked upward like a hand scooping water.
A fist-sized sphere of water was thrown high into the air.
Under the stage lights, Feebas's silver scales already shone brilliantly.
As the water sphere fell—
It landed perfectly on Feebas's body.
Splash!
Droplets exploded outward.
Thousands of glittering beads scattered through the air.
Under the arena lights, every droplet reflected brilliant silver radiance.
For a moment—
Feebas looked as though it were wrapped in countless sparkling diamonds.
Its already dazzling silver scales became even more radiant.
Even more breathtaking.
Even more beautiful.
"Splash—!"
"WOOOOOO!!"
"FEEBAS!!"
"FEEBAS!!"
The audience erupted once more.
Although Feebas's showcase was extremely simple—
The performance perfectly highlighted the beauty of its silver makeup.
Simple.
Elegant.
Enchanting.
Exactly like Feebas itself.
The thunderous applause threatening to tear the roof off the arena was proof enough of how deeply the audience had been captivated.
"Contestant No.24's Pokémon, Feebas, has completed its showcase. Audience judges, please cast your votes."
...
The voting period ended quickly.
And soon—
The results arrived.
"One minute of voting has concluded."
"Contestant No.24's Pokémon, Feebas, has received..."
"5000 votes."
A perfect score.
Once again.
Exactly as everyone expected.
"WOOOOOO!!"
"ASH!!"
"FEEBAS!!"
The crowd instantly exploded.
Even the remaining contestants backstage could no longer remain calm.
Everyone already knew Feebas was beautiful.
Everyone knew it possessed extraordinary elegance.
Everyone knew it was one of the strongest championship contenders.
Advancing to the finals had never been in doubt.
But—
Actually witnessing another perfect score still left everyone shocked.
Because Feebas truly deserved it.
And that only made the result even more overwhelming.
"Hmm?"
Unlike everyone else—
Ash didn't immediately celebrate.
Instead, his brows furrowed.
A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"Did I see that correctly?"
"When Feebas left the stage just now…"
"I could've sworn I saw a flash of white light."
Ash muttered inwardly.
Because Feebas's makeup was silver-white—
And because the stage lights were incredibly bright—
He couldn't be certain whether it had simply been an illusion.
But if it wasn't...
Then there was only one possibility.
"If my eyes weren't playing tricks on me…"
"Then Feebas just showed signs of evolution."
Ash's eyes widened slightly.
A look of surprise appeared on his face.
…
Without wasting another second, Ash immediately took a small glass fish tank out of the Ascension Trainer System's storage space.
Grabbing Feebas's Poké Ball from the return slot—
He released it directly into the tank.
"Lumina."
"Just now, when you were leaving the stage, I thought I saw evolution light around your body."
"Did you feel anything?"
Ash immediately asked.
The moment Feebas appeared—
It nodded excitedly.
"Gulu~!"
(That's right!)
(I was actually planning to wait until we got back to the contestant waiting hall before telling you.)
(I wanted it to be a surprise for you Ash!)
(But I didn't expect you to notice it anyway...!)
Feebas's eyes sparkled with excitement.
And the moment it confirmed Ash's suspicion—
Ash's heart skipped a beat.
The long-awaited moment...
Was finally approaching.
After all the hard work.
After all the growth.
After all the confidence Feebas had painstakingly built.
Its evolution—
Was no longer far away.
--------------
T/N:
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