Of course, during this week, other Pokémon were not idle either. The most notable progress was made by the newly evolved Politoed, which was experiencing a rapid increase in power post-evolution.
Politoed's physical qualities improved significantly, and its water energy reserves were greatly enhanced. Now, it could use Hydro Pump as a regular attack.
Additionally, when Politoed used Rain Dance, the area of gathered clouds in the sky expanded several times, and the rain duration was greatly extended.
During this period, several Poliwag in Politoed's group evolved into Poliwhirl. Rex was unsure if this was a coincidence or influenced by Politoed.
Rex did not have the ambition to become a Pokémon researcher, or else this would have been a ready-made research topic. If he could study the influence of Politoed on its group, he might easily become a recognized researcher by the League.
Over these days, Swellow's size had also increased considerably. Rex was unsure why, as other Pokémon had also received life energy multiple times but only grew slightly larger than normal.
Rex could think of two possibilities for Swellow's unusual size. One, like ancient Pokémon accumulating extraordinary energy over long periods, resulting in larger sizes, but these Pokémon would not be weaker than some legendary Pokémon. In fact, they could be considered legends themselves.
The other possibility was akin to Totem Pokémon in the Alola region, which might have absorbed light leaked from the battle between Necrozma and the Tapus, resulting in a dominant aura. These Totem Pokémon were many times larger than their kin and usually existed in groups.
Rex thought that some energy in the Alola region caused this mutation, similar to how Dynamax in the Galar region was caused by Eternatus' released energy.
Swellow's growth in strength had slowed significantly. Since it couldn't evolve further and no Swellow Mega Stone had been discovered, it might need to go to the Alola region for an energy baptism to become a true Totem Pokémon.
Otherwise, Swellow would have to rely on time to gradually grow stronger, a method Rex doubted Swellow would accept.
As for Dynamax, it required Eternatus' energy, so unless Rex settled in Galar, it wouldn't be very useful.
All these plans had to wait until Rex finished participating in the Ever Grande Conference, which was less than a month away. Considering travel time, he estimated he would need to leave for Ever Grande City in about half a month.
Rex was now considering his Pokémon lineup for the Ever Grande Conference. Swellow, Heracross, and Politoed were already on the list. The other Pokémon would depend on their progress over the next few weeks.
If Machop could reach the level to evolve into Machamp, it would be included, given its noticeable growth.
Other candidates included Flaaffy, Haunter, Sandslash, Combusken, Carbink, Lapras, and Lileep. The final participants would depend on their performance over the next two weeks.
Upon hearing this, the alternate candidates trained hard, hoping to be chosen by their Trainer.
Of course, if Magikarp and Feebas could evolve during this time, they would also be considered.
Rex was unsure about Magikarp's potential, as it had grown significantly larger but still hadn't reached its limit. Even at its limit, evolving into Gyarados wasn't guaranteed.
Feebas, however, had some chance. Since seeing Robert's Milotic at the Grand Festival, Yuli had been keen on evolving Feebas into Milotic. She often fed it meticulously crafted Pokéblocks to increase its beauty.
Now, Feebas had undergone a transformation, no longer pitted and scarred but showing clear, bright eyes, losing its former dullness and sluggishness.
Rex no longer found Feebas ugly at first sight, instead seeing it as adorably daft.
While Rex couldn't precisely determine Feebas' beauty level, he was sure it was high, possibly around or exceeding 170.
"Yuli, are you feeding Feebas Pokéblocks again?"
As Rex approached the artificial lake, he saw Yuli feeding Feebas a translucent, pale blue Pokéblock.
"Yes, this is the highest quality, most beautiful-increasing Pokéblock I've ever made," Yuli replied, turning to Rex.
"Did it reach the advanced level?" Rex asked, surprised, as Yuli's best Pokéblocks were previously intermediate.
"Hehe, even higher! I made many attempts before accidentally creating this one. Who knows when I'll be able to make another," Yuli said, clearly delighted.
Yuli was telling the truth. As Feebas ate the Pokéblock, it began to glow white, though the light flickered, struggling to sustain.
Seeing this, Rex knew Feebas lacked the foundation to support its evolution into Milotic and that Yuli's hard-made top-tier Pokéblock might be wasted.
Without hesitation, Rex placed his hand on Feebas' head, channeling his life energy into it.
To maximize the chances, Rex infused all his daily life energy into Feebas.
The life energy provided the needed resources, and the flickering light stabilized, enveloping Feebas. The glowing area expanded.
When the light faded, a beautiful, serpentine Milotic emerged before them.
Milotic's body was creamy with red eyes and three black marks under its neck. Its head was elongated with a protrusion, and its brows extended from its body, with a creamy base transitioning to red. Its tail was covered in blue and pink scales with black stripes, ending in four overlapping blue scales with red oval patterns.
"Great, Feebas evolved successfully!" Yuli excitedly hugged Rex.
"Your efforts were crucial, Yuli. Feebas' own hard work also paid off," Rex praised, patting her shoulder.
Yuli quickly let go, blushing, realizing her boldness.
Milotic, now familiar with its new form, saw its reflection in the water and looked amazed. Knowing its evolution was thanks to these two humans, Milotic affectionately nuzzled them, expressing its gratitude.
(Chapter ends)