Having satisfied these Trainers' curiosity about Milotic, there were no further incidents.
Now, in the minds of this group, only one thought remained.
To capture a Magikarp and let it evolve into Milotic at The Lake of Purification!
For Trainers, the rarity of Milotic even surpassed that of creatures like Dragonite and Kangaskhan.
If one could raise a Milotic, it was an affirmation of their identity as a Trainer.
Fang Yuan watched these Trainers, who seemed to be brimming with boundless hope, and sighed inwardly.
He didn't have the heart to shatter their illusions...
His Magikarp's evolution was by no means solely due to The Lake of Purification!
However, this also allowed Fang Yuan to realize once again the great appeal Milotic held for Trainers specializing in Water-type Spirits.
"The exploration continues, this conjecture I shall report," Feng Yin said in a deep voice.
Speculating now was useless, after all, they didn't have a Magikarp on hand to experiment with.
To confirm the reality of their speculation, they would have to wait for further research.
...
Sploosh!!
Swish!!
A bunch of Water-type Spirits were tossed into the lake like dumplings.
Milotic floated quietly on the surface, somewhat contemplating a return to the depths below.
After evolving, it felt capable of diving deeper still.
With the support of Water Ring, Self-Regeneration, and Life Droplet moves, diving deeper seemed feasible.
It just hadn't had the chance to delve further, as it had been coaxed above by an Eevee before.
"Self-Regeneration... Water Ring... Life Droplet..."
After the Trainers returned to their posts, Qiao Yiyi was still by the lake, watching Milotic.
She pondered... a Magikarp probably wouldn't be able to learn these three moves.
Just forty minutes ago, this Milotic was still a Magikarp.
And after evolving, it had mastered these three moves outright?
Qiao Yiyi didn't know whether this was a racial talent of Milotic or if Fang Yuan had used some special cultivation method, nor did she know whether The Lake of Purification was to credit.
But now, Qiao Yiyi was filled with regret...
If she had known that Milotic could learn Life Droplet, she wouldn't have tamed Dragonite; obviously, her aesthetic differed from Fang Yuan's, as she found Milotic to be more beautiful.
However, Qiao Yiyi also knew that, compared to Dragonite, Milotic was just as difficult to capture, and to evolve a Magikarp into Milotic, could The Lake of Purification really suffice?
"Miss Qiao, could we exchange insights on practicing healing type moves?" Fang Yuan found Qiao Yiyi engrossed and unceremoniously interrupted her.
At the same time, Fang Yuan nodded to Milotic.
Swish~~
Milotic re-entered The Lake of Purification to once again push the limits of its new form.
With Milotic's disappearance, Qiao Yiyi snapped back to reality.
"Insights?" Qiao Yiyi turned her head and, after a moment of silence, said, "Practice makes perfect."
"Mainly, it's about energy control power; for healing type moves, control is extremely important," Duan Xue, who was nearby and noticed that Fang Yuan had ignored her, couldn't help but interject.
Having good energy control power is essential to effectively use healing type moves.
And to achieve excellent control, one needs extensive practice.
This aspect perfectly aligned with Milotic's strengths; during its Magikarp phase, it had already demonstrated its coordination talent.
"All right..." Fang Yuan knew that wasn't what he wanted to ask.
What the other party was discussing was probably just basic knowledge, and what Fang Yuan wanted was clearly not that.
Of course, to exchange more advanced knowledge, Fang Yuan would have to offer something in return, which he hadn't yet decided upon, so... he gave up for the meantime.
Well... he would first visit the library at Mo Da and consult with the mentors at Mo Da's Nursing Department.
As for the knowledge from the Pokemon Medical College, that would come later.
After chatting with Qiao Yiyi and Duan Xue for a bit more and gaining some basic medical knowledge, the two began preparing medicines to welcome the returning Spirits.
Watching their departing figures, Fang Yuan once again fell into contemplation.
Compared to healing type moves, Fang Yuan planned to first nurture Milotic's control over Water-based Spells.
After all, the original purpose of capturing Ugly Fish was to have a Pokemon that could be ridden in aquatic environments to ensure his own safety.
He couldn't lose sight of the original intention.
"Milotic wouldn't refuse to let me ride it, would it?" However, at the same time, Fang Yuan started to doubt himself.
"But speaking of which, Milotic's current strength..."
From Ugly Fish to Milotic, Fang Yuan hadn't fed it many Energy Blocks, just over a hundred, mainly Blue Energy Blocks that increased Beauty Degree and mental power.
Compared to the quantity of Energy Blocks consumed by Eevee, Self-detonating Magnetic Monster, Glutton, and Fierce Fire Monkey, it was very little.
The Ugly Fish had too small an appetite, and Fang Yuan didn't have the heart to feed it more, even though a good diet is essential for growth; he was afraid of overfeeding the Ugly Fish...
Fortunately, that was no longer a concern now.
The digestive capabilities of Milotic, compared to Ugly Fish, should have increased by several magnitudes.
However, although Ugly Fish's training intensity wasn't high, Milotic's strength shouldn't be too weak.
Moderate training doesn't mean no training at all; in fact, those supplements were enough to unlock Ugly Fish's potential.
And Milotic, having successfully evolved, definitely received a huge boost to its innate capabilities.
This kind of boost brought about a gap that couldn't be bridged just by consuming more supplements.
Just like Magikarp, it's akin to a leap over the dragon gate, its potential rivaling that of Pokemon which could evolve in two stages.
Using game data terms, Milotic's Species Value would be higher than even the final forms of The Three Great Families with great potential.
This was sufficient to prove the current strength of Milotic's form.
Speaking of The Three Great Families, one couldn't help but mention the Monferno from the Sinnoh Region.
And when it comes to Monferno, it's necessary to mention its previous form, the Fierce Fire Monkey...
Fang Yuan silently took out the Fierce Fire Monkey's Poké Ball, looking at the lake, speechless.
"Come out... Fierce Fire Monkey..." Fang Yuan called out the Fierce Fire Monkey.
After coming out, the Fierce Fire Monkey looked at Fang Yuan with a puzzled expression, asking what was the matter.
"Well... I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news for you, which do you want to hear first?" Fang Yuan said.
The good news is... your companion Ugly Fish has evolved.
The bad news is... your companion Ugly Fish has evolved.
"Ah-chah?" The Fierce Fire Monkey scratched its head in confusion, so let's hear the bad news first.
Fang Yuan fell silent once more, saying, "Then... look at the lake... and wait for a bit..."
Fang Yuan guessed that the Fierce Fire Monkey might be at the bottom of the pecking order now.
It's not that it couldn't beat Milotic, in fact... it was hard to compare these two Pokemon.
The overall quality of Fierce Fire Monkey was currently much stronger than Milotic's, which was for certain.
But... Milotic is a Water-type, after all, and it was going to enter a period of rapid growth next.
On the ground, although Milotic could float for a short time, it wouldn't be fair; Fierce Fire Monkey could win, but it would be a hollow victory because it relied on the terrain, which Fierce Fire Monkey itself should understand.
In combat on water... there was no need for a fight, Milotic could just declare victory, as the monkey couldn't swim and would simply drown.
So to sum up... it would be fifty-fifty; whoever had the home-field advantage would win.
However, under normal circumstances, official battles are conducted on combined terrains with both water and ground surfaces... Such terrains have both elements.
But in such terrains, Fierce Fire Monkey would still be somewhat awkward because it follows the physical combat route, needing close combat to exert its full strength.
And as for range attacks, like Flamethrower, Fierce Fire Monkey indeed knew it, but if Fierce Fire Monkey wanted to counter Water Gun with Flamethrower... that might be hard.
"That's rough..."
"But one shouldn't underestimate Fierce Fire Monkey, after all, it masters moves like Zing Zap that can counter Milotic; yeah, fifty-fifty, I suppose." After all, he had to save some face for Fierce Fire Monkey.
Time passed quickly, and one by one, the Water-type Pokemon all returned.
Fierce Fire Monkey was still holding on to its confusion until... Milotic's graceful figure emerged from the splashing water of the lake...
The Fierce Fire Monkey first furrowed its brow,
then after a little thought, it analyzed,
and then...
(／‵Д′)／~╧╧
I can't live like this! Don't stop me! I want to end it all! Saying this, Fierce Fire Monkey tried to jump into the lake.