In the Pokémon Realm, what kind of creature is the most terrifying?
A Divine Beast?
Divine Beasts are undoubtedly terrifying, but they are too rare; most people never see one in their lifetime.
What about besides Divine Beasts?
It must be the group Pokémon.
Because these are more commonly encountered than those powerful Wild Pokémon.
For example, Raticate and Rattata living in city sewers can become a rat infestation when their numbers are large enough.
Or in the wild forests, where you can frequently encounter a Beedrill swarm or a Spearow flock.
If one doesn't have enough strength to encounter them, there might be nothing left to do but run.
Sometimes, even running is a luxury.
Wishiwashi are just that kind of group Pokémon.
And Wishiwashi groups are more troublesome compared to other Pokémon races.
Because they are the only species that can integrate their group into a single whole in the Pokémon realm.
Wishiwashi's trait is "Schooling." When startled or threatened, they can release a special signal to summon companions, and through the "Schooling" trait, form a cohesive individual.
Wishiwashi has a species value of only 175 points, ranking among the lowest of all Pokémon in the Pokémon realm.
But when the number of Wishiwashi gathers to a certain degree, forming the "Schooling Form," its species value skyrockets to 620 points, which is terrifying.
It's known that a Quasi-God Pokémon's species value reaches only 600 points upon reaching its final form, 20 points lower than Wishiwashi's "Schooling Form."
Although species value is just a reference data given by the Alliance and doesn't determine the outcome of an actual battle, it can illustrate many issues.
Theoretically, there is no limit to the number of Wishiwashi needed to form the "Schooling Form."
The more Wishiwashi that join, the stronger the "Schooling Form" becomes.
This means that if tens of thousands or more Wishiwashi can be gathered, their weak form may erupt with strength comparable to Elite Trainer Level and beyond.
This is why, in the Alola Region where Wishiwashi abound, they are defined as extremely dangerous Pokémon, like Bewear.
Many times, the huge shadows or water monsters seen by ships are just shadows of Wishiwashi's "Schooling Form."
This is why Natsuhiko was relieved to have stopped Bewear in time.
Don't underestimate this little Wishiwashi; it can call in dozens or more of its kind at the flip of a switch.
This is why other Water-type Pokémon choose to steer clear when they see Wishiwashi approaching.
Their behavior further indicates the abundance of Wishiwashi in these waters.
If on land, Natsuhiko might not fear this Pokémon.
But now in the water, many of his Pokémon's powers couldn't be fully realized, and if Wishiwashi called for its companions, he could only have Alakazam take him away.
Signaling Alakazam to keep away from this Wishiwashi.
They can't afford to provoke it for now.
The main target is still Skrelp.
Continue to dive deeper.
The visibility of the light becomes lower and lower, slowly seemingly reaching the lakebed where the algae are located.
"Hudi."
Alakazam suddenly sensed something, looking in a direction.
Following its gaze, Natsuhiko saw a little flash of light faintly visible among the chaotic waterweeds.
"Let's take a look."
Using its psychic power to clear the weeds, Alakazam controlled the spoon to extract the glowing object from within the weeds.
Placed it into the space where Natsuhiko and the others were located.
It was a palm-sized scale, triangular, resembling a shell with a magenta top, fading to a light blue at the end.
The whole scale emitted a faint magnificent glow, appearing particularly beautiful in the palm.
"Buyi~~"
Little Eevee's eyes lit up instantly, as if they contained little stars.
What a beautiful scale.
"Beautiful Scale?"
Natsuhiko felt the cool touch at his fingertips and spoke its name while looking at the scale.
A Beautiful Scale is considered a Pokémon Item, but currently, many people don't know its use and merely treat it as a collectible.
Even so, the value of "Beautiful Scales" remains high, often being snatched up by the rich as a collectible once they appear.
If a wealthy person's home has a "Beautiful Scale" as a collectible, it surely indicates their wealth and that they are a worthy partner, prompting others to hastily strike various collaborations.
Due to its potential value, the "Beautiful Scale's" value has continued to rise since its discovery, becoming a symbol of status for some people.
Its beauty is not something easily described with words.
But in fact, the "Beautiful Scale" has a practical use.
It can evolve Feebas, considered the ugliest Pokémon in the Pokémon realm, into Milotic, recognized as The Most Beautiful Pokémon in the Pokedex!
A leap from one extreme to the other.
Wild Milotic are extremely rare, which also leads to the scarcity of "Beautiful Scales."
Even now, people don't know from which Pokémon Milotic evolves.
Primarily because no one would ever think that such a beautiful Milotic is the evolved form of a Pokémon like Feebas.