Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

Xia Chen: "."

The last person to say that already beat his idol to a pulp. Saying something like that is a bit scary, isn't it?

But since they greeted him so warmly, Xia Chen felt awkward ignoring them, so he forced a smile and replied, "Hello."

The girl pressed her advantage, "Um... I'm also a fan of Master Yi, may I touch Master Yi?"

You're my fan too, so why didn't you think of touching me?

Xia Chen originally wanted to refuse like that, but that would easily cause a misunderstanding, so he could only say tactfully, "You should ask Ibu, not me."

Xia Chen thought that the proud Eevee would not agree to let a stranger touch her, but to his surprise, she nodded in agreement and even jumped off his shoulder into the other person's arms.

?

Is this my Eevee?

Did I give you the wrong baby?

Xia Chen looked suspiciously at Eevee, who was being groped by the girl he had just met, but the latter returned a meaningful look.

What do you know? She is one of the most important scholars in the Pokémon world for the next decade. Not only that, she is also a rising star in the field of trainers.

Shouldn't we start building relationships as soon as possible?

Ibrahimovic sighed inwardly.

Sigh, being so prescient is really exhausting.

…………

The girl was quite sensible; she stopped after touching him a few times and smiled apologetically at Xia Chen.

"Sorry, I got a little excited to see my two idols right in front of me. Oh, by the way, my name is Lu Yao, the 'Yao' in 'distant'."

Ibrahimovic didn't care, and Xia Chen certainly wouldn't be jealous either. He simply replied, "My name is Xia Chen, so don't call me Master Pigeon anymore. Let's just address each other normally."

Lu Yao nodded and asked curiously, "Master Pigeon, sorry, I just kept calling you that. Xia Chen, did you come here for Milotic?"

Xia Chen was surprised, "You saw the video I posted yesterday?"

Lu Yao was speechless. "I really am your fan!"

After revealing her identity, she immediately asked mysteriously, "Are you puzzled as to why Feebas didn't evolve using Beautiful Scales, and that's why you've come here to find out?"

Xia Chen smiled upon hearing this, "You guessed so accurately, do you know why?"

Lu Yao puffed out her chest confidently, "I don't know."

Xia Chen: "."

I didn't know you could still be so self-righteous?

"However, if our research institute can't figure it out, no one else in the world can!"

Xia Chen glanced sideways; his tone was so arrogant, he had quite the air of a domineering king.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to prove it.

Xia Chen smiled and said, "Actually, I already know about Milotic's other evolutionary path. I'm just here to borrow your equipment for a comprehensive test."

Lu Yao's smile froze. "You're not kidding?"

Xia Chen said seriously, "Of course I wasn't joking."

"Hiss!" Lu Yao gasped in surprise, muttering, "No wonder you didn't say anything at the end of the video yesterday. So you wanted to make this video a trailer to pave the way for your research?"

"clever."

Xia Chen didn't hide his thoughts and nodded.

Lu Yao's gaze toward Xia Chen grew increasingly complicated. Xia Chen had expected her to say something like "The younger generation surpasses the older generation" or "This child is terrifyingly powerful."

Unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "I never knew you were such a scheming guy. Could it be that you've manipulated all of us viewers?"

Xia Chen: "."

What's going on here? Do academic researchers all have such wildly different thought processes?

…………

The group chatted as they walked to the artificial lake at the research institute.

It was midday, and the water was shimmering.

Every now and then, a few giant flying fish would leap out and glide low over the lake. Not far away, a Gyarados was lazily floating on the water, basking in the sun, creating a peaceful and serene scene.

Suddenly, a loud, energetic shout broke the silence.

"Gyarados, go and call Milotic out!" The one who shouted was none other than Grandma Lu, who was walking at the front.

The hot-tempered Gyarados, disturbed from its peace, dared not cause any trouble and obediently dived to the surface.

A short while later, it emerged from the water, carrying another long, slender figure.

It was a Milotic that was at least a size larger than Xia Chen's Milotic, which had just evolved from Feebas.

I'd like to recommend a friend's new book, *Elf: Frog Ninja*. The protagonist is a Greninja frog that can travel through the ninja world. It's a rare and valuable monster-themed book. Check it out if you're interested!

Chapter 92 The Difference Between the Two Evolutionary Paths

"Your name is Xia Chen, right? Then I'll call you Xiao Chen, just like Da Mu does."

Unlike Kikuko, who was a hot-tempered and eccentric old woman, Director Lu was amiable, but her amiability naturally revealed a sense of aloofness.

It's not surprising to feel a sense of distance from a young person you've just met. Xia Chen nodded politely in response, "No problem, Director Lu."

"Yes, Professor Oak has already told me the whole story. Now, release your Milotic."

Xia Chen liked people who didn't waste words. He took out Milotic's Poké Ball, and with a flash of white light, a giant Mimikyu appeared in the open space beside them. It was slightly smaller than the Milotic in the lake, but no less beautiful.

As soon as Xia Chen's Milotic appeared, Elder Lu, the Pokémon scholar, noticed his special qualities.

"Your Milotic is interesting. Are you sure it just evolved yesterday?"

Before Xia Chen could speak, Lu Yao answered first, "It only evolved yesterday, and there's even a video of it."

Director Lu asked in surprise, "How did you know, Xiao Yao? Did you know each other before?"

Lu Yao explained, "I guess so. Xia Chen is a fairly well-known video blogger on the internet, and his videos are quite popular right now."

"Just say 'uploader,' I'm not as outdated as you think." Director Lu waved his hand. "Bring the video over so I can take a look."

Lu Yao opened her phone, operated it for a moment, and handed it over.

Director Lu took the phone and looked at it carefully.

…………

ten minutes later.

Director Lu lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then looked up at Professor Oak.

"Da Mu, what do you think?" Director Lu asked, adopting the demeanor of a teacher examining a student.

Professor Oak paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes, Professor Lu, what's strange about Xiao Chen's Milotic is that although it has only just evolved, the scales on its tail look like it has been evolving for several years and is already a very mature Milotic."

Xia Chen couldn't help but ask, "Will Milotic's appearance change after it evolves?"

Realizing he'd asked a silly question, Xia Chen quickly added, "I mean, the color of the scales can change?"

Lu Yao explained from the side, "That's right. When Milotic first evolved, the pink and blue scales on its tail were very light in color, close to the cream color of its body. Only the passage of time can make it into the most familiar and beautiful form."

Director Lu continued, "If Xiao Chen's theory is correct, then what caused this change is not time, but [beauty level]."

Xia Chen then offered his own thoughts: "If we extrapolate from the [Beauty Theory], perhaps the [Beauty Scales] only momentarily raise the Ugly Fish's beauty to a critical point that can prompt it to evolve, while the Beauty Energy Cube is a gradual process where quantitative change leads to qualitative change?"

"Therefore, Milotic that evolves using beautiful scales needs time to accumulate the sudden surge in beauty. The tail scales, which best represent Milotic's beauty, highlight this process?"

The other three people's eyes lit up. Although rationally speaking, the two seemingly related changes did not necessarily have a connection, it was a direction worth exploring and investigating.

Professor Oak nodded and said, "It's a very valuable and logical deduction, but it's just an isolated case. To draw a conclusion, we need more detailed data. So, let's send two Milotics for a comprehensive test and comparison."

No one objected. Xia Chen and Director Lu recalled their Milotic and headed towards the Pokémon Center at the research institute.

…………

"The medical report is out. Your Milotic is very healthy. In fact, in terms of all aspects of its physical functions and energy intensity, it is incredibly excellent. It doesn't look like the data you would expect from a Milotic that has just evolved."

Inside the research institute, Lu Yao walked over with a thick report in her hand.

Xia Chen took the stack of documents and pretended to understand them, flipping through them casually. He replied, "Although it sounds a bit like self-praise, every Miss Joey praised him like that during his Ugly Fish phase."

Director Lu shook his head. "Actually, my Milotic was like that before it evolved, but in the period immediately after it evolved, Milotic's test results were very poor. Pokémon like Milotic, which have such a large difference before and after evolution, need some time to adapt and adjust to their new bodies after evolution."

Xia Chen nodded to indicate that he understood.

Director Lu pondered for a moment, then added, "But this doesn't necessarily mean it's all thanks to the energy cube; more comparative experiments are needed."

"However, there is already ample evidence to prove that your Milotic's evolution has nothing to do with Beautiful Scales. Look over here."

Director Lu waved the two photos in his hand.

"The beautiful scales do not disappear after evolution, but become part of Milotic's body. Look here."

She pointed to the photo in her hand, "Every Milotic has this scale on its abdomen. Doesn't it look like a beautiful scale?"

In the photo, a large, pink and blue scale stands out starkly against a smooth, creamy-colored skin.

The other one, however, did not have this feature on Xia Chen's Milotic.

Professor Oak stroked his chin. "Looking at it this way, Xiao Chen's Milotic actually seems more naturally perfect."

Director Lu shook his head. "I won't comment, but in any case, this discovery is absolutely a boon to the Pokémon world. Energy cubes are a common breeding item for Pokémon. If you can breed a Milotic with just this one item, the whole world will go crazy for it!"

Lu Yao's thoughts jumped to another level, "Tsk tsk, this is a big business!"

…………

Xia Chen was taken aback. These words reminded him that it was time to put the mass production of the Beautiful Energy Cubes on the agenda.

However, I currently have no foundation and absolutely no business ambitions. It's impossible for me to build a business empire from scratch, right?

So, how about finding a reliable partner?

Seemingly sensing Xia Chen's thoughts, Director Lu casually reminded him, "If you want to cooperate, it's best not to directly approach giants like Silver or Devon. I can say with certainty that they will try every means to leech off your project, which has little foundation but enormous potential."