Chapter 6: The Most Beautiful Pokémon

One cannot blame Qian Lin for being timid; he simply had no choice. He was not a Trainer and possessed no Pokémon, so this was the only way he could appease the creature.

"Fuu~" An elegant sound resonated from the lake, as melodious and beautiful as a song. Accompanied by the splashing of water, a massive figure rose from the depths.

With a cream-colored body, red eyes, and a stature exceeding five meters, it possessed a beautiful, serpentine form. Its scales shimmered in the glow of the setting sun, making it look like a mermaid from the depths of the ocean—breathtakingly beautiful.

It was the most beautiful Pokémon: Milotic.

Qian Lin was dumbstruck, and even the live chat stream paused at this moment.

Qian Lin quickly regained his composure, swallowed hard, and stood by the lakeside, holding the Feebas out with both hands. "I am truly sorry, Milotic. I had no intention of harming Feebas."

"Fuu~" Milotic swayed her body slowly, her movements so elegant and perfectly coordinated. She glided toward the edge of the lake, standing tall in the water as she looked down at Qian Lin. "Fuu~ na..."

Milotic leaned her head in to examine Feebas closely. Being this close to a Milotic left Qian Lin’s entire body rigid; his heart raced, his hands trembled, and even his grip on the Feebas became slightly awkward.

In official records, Milotic’s height rivals that of a Gyarados. The sheer intimidation brought by such a size… well, none of that mattered. Milotic is forever supreme!

Once Milotic confirmed that the Feebas was uninjured, she slowly withdrew her hostility. Her gem-like eyes gazed at Qian Lin, and her tail, covered in beautiful scales, gently patted the water, signaling him to put the Feebas down.

Qian Lin understood. Without making any unnecessary movements, he placed the Feebas back into the lake, took two steps back, and looked at Milotic. "Milotic, may I camp here? I only need seven days."

Milotic seemed to be contemplating. She looked at the Feebas swimming beside her, and the hostility in her aura completely vanished.

After a few seconds, Milotic nodded gently. "Fuu-na~"

Qian Lin smiled. "Thank you, Milotic."

Milotic tapped the water with her tail and, saying nothing more, turned and disappeared into the lake with the Feebas. The splashing water and the shimmering ripples under the sunset made the lake look unimaginably beautiful.

Perhaps it was Milotic’s presence that made the world in Qian Lin’s eyes look so beautiful as well.

Watching Milotic vanish beneath the surface, Qian Lin collapsed onto the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief. A moment later, as if struck by a thought, he leaned back, laid flat on the ground, and chuckled at the sky like a fool.

The invisible drone faithfully captured the scene: a young man standing by the lake holding the ugliest Pokémon, while the most beautiful Pokémon stood in the water—the two of them communicating, as if testing one another.

The sunset light fell upon them, creating a scene that could only be described as a masterpiece.

"Ah!!!" Qian Lin shouted at the sky while lying on the ground, releasing the surge of excitement from his chest.

[Holy crap! I want to scream too! What was that? How can such a beautiful monster exist!]
[That’s not a monster, that’s a Pokémon!!!]
[Streamer, please give us the location!!! I’m begging you!!!]
[I suggest that if you don't have the same level of knowledge as the streamer, you shouldn't think about looking for that Pokémon... but damn, it’s truly beautiful! I want to see it with my own eyes too!!!]
[It was so shocking just looking at it through the screen; if I were there in person...]
[Don't say it, I'm so jealous of the streamer!]

The chat was filled with shock. Milotic had appeared for about a minute, and in that single minute, the popularity of Qian Lin’s stream had nearly tripled. Even though it hadn't reached four digits yet, he had only been streaming for a day—or rather, half a day!

Milotic lived up to her name as the most beautiful Pokémon; just looking at her gave one the feeling of being healed.

Qian Lin sat up and looked at the exploding chat. He smiled and said, "That was a Milotic. Judging by the length of the hair-like fins on her head, she is likely female; a male's fins are shorter. That Feebas must be her child, which is why she showed such intense hostility when I fished it out."

Speaking of this, Qian Lin hesitated for a moment before continuing, "She... likely encountered humans before, and perhaps they were not very kind to her. That led her to assume I intended to harm her child the moment she saw me catch it. Otherwise, given Milotic’s peaceful nature, it would be impossible for her to show that level of hostility toward me."

[Milotic? Why do I feel like I've heard you say that name before?]
[I feel like I've heard it too.]
[Did you guys get amnesia? When the streamer fished that Feebas out, didn't he say that the Feebas would evolve into a... Milotic? Wait, streamer, what did you just say? Feebas is Milotic’s child????]
[???????????]
[????]
[How in the world are those two related?]

It was no wonder the chat was shocked. Anyone would be stunned that a Feebas—a creature only slightly larger than a head with an ugly color scheme that could hurt one's eyes—was the child of a five-meter-tall Milotic that looked like a work of art.

Even when Qian Lin first learned about Pokémon, he thought Milotic evolved from Dragonair. Or at the very least, he would have accepted that Gyarados evolved from Dragonair. But who could have guessed that Milotic evolved from a Feebas? It was completely absurd.

Qian Lin sat by the lake, watching the sunset from afar. The lingering rays of the setting sun spilled over the lake, and the clean surface reflected the light of the sunset and the sky, creating a beautiful painting.

Suddenly, Qian Lin smiled. He cast his hook back into the water, watching the float break the sky and its reflection. "Feebas and Milotic, Magikarp and Gyarados, Dragonair and Dragonite... the world of Pokémon is truly magical."

From ugliest to most beautiful, from weakest to strongest, from thin and small to brave and mighty—the evolution of Pokémon is truly wondrous.

The chat didn't understand what Qian Lin was talking about, but looking at him and the beautiful scenery, everyone’s hearts seemed to calm down. They set aside their restlessness and watched the screen with pure appreciation.

And then, they became envious.

[Damn, I’m going to go camping outdoors one of these days.]
[Without the streamer's deep knowledge of Pokémon, I suggest you don't go.]
[To be fair, that’s true.]
[Streamer, streamer, can you take me with you on your next outdoor stream? I can help you hold the camera.]
[Streamer, streamer! Me, me, me! I’m a camping expert. As long as I'm there, you’ll never have to eat instant noodles!]
[Take me with you! I’ll send you a Super Rocket!]

As various comments flew through the chat, it somehow evolved into a competition to see who could be the top donor so that Qian Lin would take them along next time. This got the wealthier viewers excited, and they kept showering the stream with gifts.

Qian Lin, who had been busy fishing and talking about Pokémon trivia, turned around to see that the gift notifications were flashing so rapidly they were blocking the chat box. He quickly asked the people to stop sending gifts and inquired about what was happening.

After learning the situation, he was left between laughter and tears. "It’s not that I don’t want to take you, but I really don’t have the capability right now. If I can find a reliable partner, I will definitely bring one of you along. But it won't be based on who donates the most; we'll do a fair lottery, alright?"

Qian Lin had indeed considered bringing someone along; after all, there was nothing more direct than teaching someone who knew nothing about Pokémon how to interact with them.

However, the problem was that Qian Lin had to be extremely cautious even by himself in the wild. He simply didn't have the resources to look after another person. If he encountered a Gyarados, Beedrill, or a flock of Spearow, he could rely on his knowledge to escape alone, but with another person, the risk of disaster would increase significantly.

If he could find a partner with decent combat capabilities in the future and gain the ability to protect himself, he could try to bring a viewer along. If they encountered danger, they could just fight and defeat it.

Of course, that was his meaning, but the chat understood it differently.

[Partner? Pick me, pick me! I live in the mountains; if you have me with you, you’ll never get lost!]
[Streamer, I am proficient in all kinds of photography techniques. I have the equipment, I can do post-production, I can endure hardships, and I can exercise. I might not be able to keep up with you perfectly while climbing, but I definitely won't drag you down.]
[I am [Name], an outdoor streamer myself. We have a professional team and professional wilderness knowledge. I think we could collaborate. Please contact me if you are interested.]
[Streamer, what are your requirements for a partner? What skills do you need? I’ll go learn them right now!]
[Do you need someone who speaks English?]
[Do you need someone who speaks Japanese?]
[Do you need someone who can play card games?]
[Do you need someone to warm the bed?]
[Do you need someone to act like a little brother?]

"That’s not what I meant by a partner... forget it." A mysterious smile appeared on Qian Lin’s face. "Anyway, if I find one, you’ll know. It’s not the right time yet."

To this world, having a Pokémon as a partner was no different from sitting with a monster. Of course, some viewers in the chat were already beginning to accept that Pokémon wouldn't actively harm humans. He just hoped they wouldn't be too shocked when the time came.

Still, he wondered if he could actually find such a partner. After all, trying to tame a Pokémon without battling or having a Poké Ball was quite difficult.

Time flowed slowly. The sunset had completely vanished, and the night had darkened. The water had boiled, and Qian Lin reeled in his fishing rod. There was no helping it; aside from that first Feebas, he hadn't caught a single other fish.

That was quite humbling.

After putting away the rod, Qian Lin looked around, his gaze finally resting on the lake. "This water... it's drinkable, right?"

"Cough, cough..."

Just kidding, just kidding.

[Skunked? It’s impossible to be skunked!]
[Drink it! You have to bring something back with you at least!]
[Fishermen never go home empty-handed!]