Before the audience could even release the emotions swelling inside their hearts, Feebas suddenly stopped suppressing the evolutionary power within her body.
In an instant—
Her ugly little body was engulfed by a brilliant, dazzling white radiance.
The Evolution Light erupted like a miniature sun inside the Water Cube.
Within the glowing cocoon, Feebas swam with all her strength.
Like a bright moon rising from the ocean horizon, a shining sphere of light burst from the water and soared into the sky, stopping at eye level with Ash's command platform.
And at that moment—
Her evolution was reaching its final stage.
…
The tiny fish-like body began transforming rapidly within the light.
Her form stretched longer and longer.
Her delicate frame expanded.
The small fish gradually transformed into a magnificent serpentine creature resembling both an oarfish and a sea serpent.
Then—
The Evolution Light shattered.
And the newly evolved Shiny Milotic appeared before everyone.
A normal Milotic possessed a predominantly cream-colored body.
Its eyes were vivid crimson.
Three black markings rested beneath its neck, likely functioning as gills.
Its head was elegant and elongated, crowned by a smooth horn-like crest.
Pink antenna-like feelers extended from above its eyes.
Flowing pink hair-like fins cascaded gracefully down either side of its face.
Its tail was covered in blue and pink scales accented by black markings.
At the center of the four overlapping blue tail fins rested red markings, creating the appearance of an exquisite folding fan.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Dreamlike.
But Lumina was not an ordinary Milotic.
She had evolved from a Shiny Feebas.
And because of that, her appearance was vastly different.
A normal Milotic possessed a cream-colored body.
Lumina's body was a pristine silver-white.
A normal Milotic's antennae and flowing brows were pink.
Lumina's transitioned from silver-gray into a subtle gray-blue gradient.
A normal Milotic's tail featured black outlines decorated with vibrant blue and red colors.
Lumina's tail retained the elegant black framework, but the scales within were filled with a luxurious golden color.
Both normal Milotic and Lumina were breathtakingly beautiful.
But their beauty felt different.
Normal Milotic was vibrant.
Splendid.
Luxurious.
Lumina, on the other hand, radiated an icy nobility.
A cold and elegant majesty.
"Miloooo—!"
Freshly evolved, Milotic floated through the air for a brief moment.
Thin wisps of mist drifted around her body.
She resembled an oarfish emerging from the deepest ocean trenches.
A beautiful sea serpent from ancient legends.
And now, suspended among clouds and mist—
She looked almost like a angel descending from heaven.
"Miloooo—!"
Her long, ethereal cry echoed throughout the stadium.
The audience still hadn't fully recovered from the emotional impact of Feebas's earlier confession.
The contestants backstage were still processing everything they had witnessed.
The staff members were still frozen in shock.
And now—
They watched Feebas evolve.
Not merely evolve.
But evolve into a Pokémon so impossibly beautiful that it seemed unreal.
…
The emotions already accumulated in their hearts were instantly elevated to an entirely new level.
"Miloooo—!"
Milotic cried out once more.
Then she happily flew toward Ash's command platform.
The tiny Feebas that Ash had once carried around inside a small glass fish tank was gone.
In her place stood a Milotic over six meters long.
Only thirty centimeters shorter than a Gyarados.
Yet despite her massive size, she gracefully circled around Ash with effortless ease.
Trainer and Pokémon.
Standing together.
One handsome and radiant.
The other breathtakingly beautiful.
The sight was so warm and harmonious that countless spectators felt their eyes becoming moist again.
"Hello, everyone."
"I'm Ash."
"Hello, everyone."
"I'm Lumina."
…
Standing atop the platform, Ash greeted the audience.
At the same time, he once again used his psychic abilities to telepathically translate Milotic's words for everyone present.
And that was the final straw.
The audience.
The contestants.
The staff.
None of them could suppress the overwhelming emotions surging within their hearts any longer.
Everyone rose to their feet.
And the entire stadium exploded.
"ASH!! ASH!!"
"ASH!! ASH!!"
"LUMINA!!"
"LUMINA!!"
"ASH!! ASH!!"
"LUMINA!!"
"LUMINA!!"
The cheers shook the arena.
Wave after wave.
Endless.
Interestingly, very few people shouted "Feebas."
Even fewer shouted "Milotic."
Instead—
Everyone shouted the same name.
Lumina.
…
At that moment, Lumina was no longer merely a Pokémon.
She had become a character.
A symbol.
A living story.
Someone who had left an unforgettable impression upon the hearts of thousands.
A superstar.
"LUMINA!!"
"LUMINA!!"
"LUMINA!!"
"Contestant No. 1 Ash's Pokémon, Feebas, has completed its presentation. Please proceed with voting."
The referee robot mechanically announced the end of the performance, completely unaware that Feebas had already evolved into Milotic.
The audience didn't care.
They continued cheering enthusiastically while voting for Ash and Lumina.
One minute later, voting concluded.
The results appeared almost immediately.
"One minute of voting has ended."
"Final Round, Contestant No. 1 Pokémon: Feebas."
"Total votes received: 5000."
Another perfect score.
The stadium erupted once more.
"ASH!! ASH!!"
"LUMINA!!"
"LUMINA!!"
Backstage, countless contestants sighed in amazement.
"A perfect score again."
"Ash is unbelievable."
"Well, what did you expect? The strength of Ash and Feebas—well, Milotic—has been obvious from the beginning."
"Exactly. The first three rounds didn't even allow trainers onstage. The organizers already did everything possible to minimize Ash's popularity advantage and keep things fair."
"Right. Ash and Lumina reached this point entirely through their own abilities."
"Honestly, this competition has been surprisingly fair."
"Even though Ash, a celebrity, entered the contest."
"Even though Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader and one of the organizers, also competed."
"Neither of them received any special treatment."
"Lumina truly deserved it."
"Whether it was the gorgeous makeup from the first three rounds…"
"Or the confidence she displayed today…"
"Even when she appeared without makeup."
"At first, I honestly couldn't accept it."
"But then…"
"As a competitor, I gradually felt something from her."
"A beauty that came from within."
"A confidence that radiated from her soul."
"Exactly."
"Even bare-faced, Lumina was beautiful."
"She never showed the slightest bit of fear."
"Standing before thousands of people…"
"Showing everyone her most imperfect appearance…"
"And still smiling so calmly…"
The contestant paused.
Then sighed softly.
"I don't think I could ever do something like that."
And at that moment—
No one in the stadium doubted the result.
Because everyone understood.
The perfect score wasn't awarded simply because Lumina evolved into Milotic.
Nor because she was beautiful.
It was because she had shown everyone what true beauty looked like.
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T/N:
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