Kris's Choice

After a short while, Yuga returned cautiously holding a bowl, with several small tails trailing behind him.

Yuga placed the bowl filled with water on the ground, and upon looking inside, one could see an Feebas happily swimming around.

Unlike when it was first brought to YoYo Day Care, this Feebas had undergone a significant transformation after consuming Beautie Pokéblocks for quite some time. While it still couldn't be called attractive, it certainly couldn't be labeled as unattractive either. This change was all thanks to its newfound aura.

Once Yuga set the bowl with the Feebas on the ground, the several small tails behind him walked up to the front, forming a line. These were Clauncher, Lotad, and Surkrit, one of each.

Yuga pointed towards the Pokémon in front of him and said, "Currently, these are the Water-type Pokémon I have here. Take a look and see if any catch your eye."

Kris knelt down and looked at the Feebas in the bowl. She then raised her head and asked Yuga, "Is this the Feebas that can evolve into Milotic?"

Yuga nodded in affirmation.

Kris listened and continued gazing at the Feebas. After staring at each other for a while, it seemed the Feebas had grown impatient and squirted water directly into Kris's face.

"Σ(Д|||)Σ It seems it doesn't like me much!" Kris said as she wiped her face.

Yuga, somewhat exasperated, remarked, "Well, no one would like you if you stared at them like that!"

Yuga sighed and said, "Let's look at the next one."

Kris shifted her position and moved in front of Surkrit, asking, "If it evolves, it won't remain a Water-type Pokémon, right?"

Yuga nodded, impressed with Kris's basic knowledge.

Seeing Yuga's agreement, Kris moved past Surkrit and approached Clauncher.

Despite Kris ignoring it, Surkrit didn't mind at all. It had just arrived at the Ecopark and enjoyed it so much that it had no intention of leaving.

As Kris approached Clauncher, it instinctively moved back a bit. Kris took a step closer, and Clauncher moved back again. This continued until Clauncher bumped into Yuga's leg, unable to retreat any further. It stopped and half-opened its eyes, looking at Kris, who was now right in front of it.

Perhaps Kris's intense gaze had frightened Clauncher too, as it didn't seem to appreciate her presence either.

"Hey, why doesn't anyone like me? I'm an invincible beauty!" Kris straightened up, somewhat puzzled.

Yuga thought to himself, "Maybe tone down that fangirl expression, and they might not react this way."

Finally, Kris reached Feebas.

She brought her face close to Feebas's, and they stared at each other, with Feebas rolling its eyes.

Feebas remained completely still as Kris continued to gaze at it. It didn't even blink. However, Kris couldn't take it anymore and collapsed on the ground.

"Ah! I can't take it; my eyes hurt!" Kris cried out.

Yuga couldn't help but think, "You brought this upon yourself."

She quickly got up from the ground, pointed at Feebas, and declared, "I've decided, I'll choose this one!"

Yuga couldn't resist asking, "Is this how you choose a Pokémon?"

Kris nodded and said, "Yep, any problem with that?"

"Do you have any basis for this choice, or..." Yuga started to ask.

Kris, with her innocent big eyes, replied, "Well, do you really need a basis for choosing a Pokémon? If it looks appealing, that's enough, right? Besides, the other ones don't seem to like me!"

Yuga couldn't argue with that logic.

Yuga sighed and said, "At the beginning, it's impossible for any Pokémon to have a 100% connection with their trainer. What's crucial is the bonding and adaptation over time."

Watching Kris's bewildered expression, Yuga continued, "It's possible that when you go back, you might find that Surkrit and the other Pokémon react the same way towards you. Or maybe, they just seem unfriendly on the surface but are actually just shy?"

Kris exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, is that possible?"

"Of course, it is. That's why you should be careful when choosing a Pokémon. Don't make a decision just by staring at them for a few moments," Yuga advised.

"Alright, alright, so what should I do then?" Kris asked, puzzled.

Yuga replied, "Shouldn't you directly ask these Pokémon themselves? After all, it's a matter between you and them."

"Ah, I see!" Kris nodded.

With her head down, Kris approached the group of Pokémon and said, "I'm going on a journey, and I'd like to know if any of you would like to join me on this adventure."

"I promise to treat you well!"

When the Pokémon remained unresponsive, Kris continued, "Well, it seems none of them like me."

Just then, the Feebas suddenly jumped out of the water, splashing water everywhere.

Kris happily ran to the front of the water bowl and asked the Feebas inside, "Would you like to be my Pokémon?"

The Feebas swished its dirty tail in the water and blew a bubble towards Kris.

"Feebas, if you blow one more bubble, I'll take it as a yes!"

Immediately, another sky-blue bubble floated out of the Feebas's mouth and landed in front of Kris.

"That's great! That's great!" Kris scooped the Feebas out of the water, kissed its forehead, and received another "Water Gun" attack in return.

"It seems that's how the Feebas expresses its agreement!" Yuga chuckled.

Kris nonchalantly wiped her face, leaving it soaking wet. She exclaimed, "Yuga, I've decided, I'll choose this Feebas."

Yuga nodded with a smile and said, "Once you've chosen, there's no turning back!"

Kris nodded decisively and said, "Of course!"

"Feebas is on the verge of evolving. You should wait until it evolves before setting out on your journey. Otherwise, even if you take it with you, it won't be of much help!"

Yuga had already informed Kris that he had a way to help the Feebas evolve, so Kris wasn't surprised that Yuga presented the Feebas as an option.

"Alright, I understand!" Kris said.

Then, Yuga gave Kris the Poké Ball containing the Feebas and handed her some Beautie Pokéblocks, instructing her to feed them to the Feebas regularly.

After explaining all the necessary details, Kris happily left YoYo Day Care with the Poké Ball containing the Feebas.

Before leaving, she informed Yuga that her cousin would transfer the money for the Feebas later. Yuga nodded, indicating that he understood, and then returned to the Ecopark with the remaining Pokémon.