Natsuhiko was actually considering writing some papers on special Pokémon evolution conditions, of which Milotic would definitely be a highly representative example.
But due to not being able to find the "Beautiful Scale," the plan had to be temporarily shelved.
Yet now, having unintentionally obtained a "Beautiful Scale," his mind became active.
More importantly.
Since he found a "Beautiful Scale" here, it should also mean that at least one Milotic lives in these waters!
The value of a "Beautiful Scale" is already so high that a Milotic's value is beyond doubt.
They can no longer be measured by factors like strength, mastery of techniques, potential, or capability.
"This lake is simply like a treasure trove."
Natsuhiko mumbled while holding the "Beautiful Scale."
First Skrelp, and now possibly Milotic.
This kind of lake is definitely considered a treasure.
Now Natsuhiko was even more troubled.
The disadvantage of not having a Water-type Pokémon showed itself in full in this moment.
If he had a Gym Leader-level Water-type Pokémon he personally cultivated, along with Alakazam, he might not be invincible here, but at least he could thoroughly sift through these waters, capturing any Pokémon he desired.
He wouldn't be stumbling around like a headless fly in the lake.
"Maybe there's a Feebas too, straight to final evolution," Natsuhiko wished lavishly in his heart.
But it's just a thought.
Natsuhiko was no longer suited to capturing Pokémon that needed training from scratch.
He already had his hands full with Latios, Monferno, and Eevee needing the investment of effort and resources.
Beedrill, Alakazam, Togekiss, and Aegislash had not yet reached their limits and still had much potential to be tapped. Their strength advancement hadn't slowed down yet, so the resources dedicated to them wouldn't decrease but only increase.
In addition, Dragapult, Little Dreepy, Snorlax, and newly captured Pokémon like Bewear also needed his care.
A dojo still in deficit and a Pokémon Ranch in its startup phase.
All of this now rests on Natsuhiko's shoulders alone.
The family assets he'd painstakingly accumulated are now exhausted.
He currently couldn't afford the resources needed to train Pokémon from scratch; at most, he could only capture a few fully matured ones like Bewear.
Even if he encountered a decent young Pokémon, Natsuhiko might choose to catch it for selling it directly for money, or he might catch it and bring it back to the Pokémon Ranch to keep until he has more resources and free time to consider such matters.
After searching in the water for a while, he still couldn't find them.
The size of the underwater space seemed larger than what the lake's surface showed, and it was very deep. Natsuhiko only touched a part of the lake bottom, which sloped in one direction.
That is to say, the closer the lake bottom is to a particular direction, the deeper the water becomes.
The space Alakazam isolated with its psychic powers could block the water flow but couldn't replace the air inside the space in the water.
So after a while, the oxygen inside the space became very thin.
This led to Natsuhiko and the Pokémon feeling drowsy due to the low oxygen content in the air.
Realizing this situation, Natsuhiko took out his Pokeballs to recall the three young Pokémon, then returned to the surface using Alakazam's Instant Movement.
Next time when going down, it would be better to let just himself and Alakazam stay in the psychic-separated space.
Upon breathing fresh air,
Natsuhiko took a deep breath, feeling much more invigorated.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Natsuhiko patted Alakazam on the shoulder and then recalled it back into the Pokeball.
The underwater pressure was significant, and Alakazam was constantly consuming its psychic powers to ensure the space was large enough. Although it could last for another round trip with its abilities, Natsuhiko felt this was not a long-term solution.
He sat against a tree with Bewear beside him.
"It seems necessary to get some Water-type Pokémon."
This would increase efficiency.
Relying solely on Alakazam and himself would ultimately be too slow.
Moreover, quite a few Pokémon lived in this water body that one would normally encounter in the sea; such occurrences are rare.
It could only be said that the lake bed might hide certain secrets.
Natsuhiko turned his head to look at Bewear.
This guy rarely showed any emotional fluctuations and sometimes it was even unclear if it was happy or not.
Natsuhiko reached out to squeeze Bewear's arm.
Soft and fluffy.
To be honest,
He was a bit curious about what lay beneath Bewear's exterior that was almost identical to a doll.
It clearly looked just like a toy bear.
This aspect made Natsuhiko feel it was similar to a Pokémon like Mimikyu.
However,
Just as Natsuhiko squeezed its arm, Bewear suddenly stood up.
Then, under Natsuhiko's confused gaze, it clenched its fist and swung a direct punch towards his face.
Everything happened so quickly that Natsuhiko didn't even have time to react; all he could see was the black, fluffy paw getting closer to his head.
If this slap landed....
Do you know how a watermelon shatters for maximum visual impact?
What's going crazy here?
This was the first thought that flashed through Natsuhiko's mind.
Crack!
A drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead.