Chapter 16 - 16: Operation Ugly Duckling

Gladion sat in the back of his Pokémon biology class, his mind wandering as the teacher droned on about the various evolution methods of water-type Pokémon. Suddenly, a phrase caught his attention. "...and while we know many Pokémon evolve through leveling up or exposure to certain stones, there are still many mysteries in the world of Pokémon evolution," the teacher said. Gladion's ears perked up. He raised his hand, unable to contain his curiosity. "What do you mean, mysteries?" The teacher smiled, pleased by the interest. "Well, Gladion, despite all our research, there are still Pokémon whose evolution methods remain unknown. Some species might even have evolutions we haven't discovered yet!" As the teacher continued, Gladion's mind raced. Thanks to his knowledge from his past life, he knew about evolutions or the method to evolve certain Pokemon that wouldn't be discovered for years. A plan began to form in his mind, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. After class, Gladion rushed to the school library, gathering every book he could find on water-type Pokémon. He flipped through pages frantically, confirming his suspicions. There was barely any information on Feebas, and absolutely nothing about its evolution into Milotic. The only thing known about Feebas was that they were pretty rare. But to his luck, he found out that there were found in the sea bordering Moonwood Town. "This is perfect," he shouted in joy, earning a stern "Shh!" from the librarian. That evening, Gladion snuck out to the nearby coast, armed with a fishing rod and a bucket. His Machop and his mom's Houndoom were besides him for his safety and to escort him back home before dinner. Gladion swore that his parents were too protective of him. He could deal with any threats by himself. He was a psychic afterall. That confidence was shattered when the tentacles of a tentacool were just centimetres away from his face. Houndoom had to save him from the cruel fate of being poisoned by the tentacle Pokemon. Hours passed as Gladion used his Psychic sensing powers to find a Feebas in the sea. He continued to move along the coast growing increasingly frustrated. His range was just 500 metres but it was better than just sitting with a fishing rod. "Come on, you ugly little fish," he grumbled. "Where are you hiding?" He had only sensed magikarps near the shore but he was pretty sure Feebas was also present somewhere near the shore. They can't go too deep or away from the coast as there would be stronger Pokemon out there who would not hesitate to eat a Feebas as a snack. Just then, he felt something in his Psychic sphere that matched a small fish. Excitement coursed through him as he decided to just use his psychic powers to catch the Feebas instead of using the fishing rod. He concentrated on the Feebas who was trying to swim away as if it has somehow sensed danger to his freedom ahead. But before it could get away, it flew upwards from the sea to the bucket in Gladion's hands which was filled with water. The Feebas flopped about, its googly eyes seeming to ask, "Why me?" "Sorry, little guy," Gladion whispered. "But you and I are going to make history... and a lot of money." Sneaking the Feebas into his room proved to be a comedy of errors. First, he nearly dropped the bucket when he stubbed his toe on the doorstep, biting his lip to keep from yelping. Then, he had to dodge his sister Gwen, who was prowling the hallway like a curious Meowth. Finally safe in his room, Gladion released the Feebas into a hastily prepared aquarium in his closet. The fish sank to the bottom, looking thoroughly unimpressed with its new home. "Okay, listen up," Gladion said, feeling slightly ridiculous talking to a fish. "You and I are going to be business partners. But first, we need to work on your self-esteem." The Feebas blinked its misaligned eyes, one slightly after the other. Gladion sighed. "This might be harder than I thought." Over the next few weeks, Gladion devoted every spare moment to Operation Ugly Duckling, as he had dubbed it. He decorated the aquarium with a sign reading "World's Most Beautiful Fish" and spent hours complimenting the Feebas on its... unique attributes. "Your scales have such an, um, interesting pattern," he'd say, struggling to find positive things to say. "And your eyes... they're so, uh, expressive! You're practically the supermodel of the fish world!" The Feebas would respond by slowly sinking to the bottom of the tank, looking thoroughly unconvinced. One day, while Gladion was in the middle of his daily pep talk, there was a knock at his door. He quickly shut the closet and called out, "Come in!" His mother, Erza, entered the room, her eyebrows raised. "Gladion, honey, who were you talking to?" "Oh, uh, no one!" Gladion said, his voice an octave higher than usual. "Just... practicing a speech for school. About self-esteem. For fish." Erza blinked. "Self-esteem... for fish?" "It's a very specific topic, Mom," Gladion said, trying to sound confident. Erza shook her head, a bemused smile on her face. "Alright, well, dinner's ready when you're done boosting the confidence of imaginary aquatic life." As soon as she left, Gladion slumped against the closet door, his heart racing. "That was close," he muttered to the hidden Feebas. "You'd better appreciate all this when you evolve." The next challenge was acquiring a Prism Scale. Gladion knew they were rare and expensive, but he was determined. He started doing every odd job he could find – mowing lawns, washing cars, even helping his mom and dad in their respective works. Finally, after months of saving, Gladion had enough money to buy a Prism Scale. He approached a local jewellery shop, trying to act casual. "Excuse me," he said to the shopkeeper, attempting to deepen his voice. "I'm looking for a Prism Scale." The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "A Prism Scale? That's a pretty rare item, kid. What do you need it for?" Gladion panicked for a moment before blurting out, "It's for a... school project! About rare Pokémon items. Very educational." The shopkeeper looked skeptical but shrugged. "Alright, but it'll cost you. These things don't grow on trees, you know." 'Maybe this boy has got a crush on a young lady and wants to impress her. Oh youth!!' The shopkeeper inwardly thought As Gladion handed over his hard-earned money, he couldn't help but think, "If only you knew what I'm going to do with this..." Back in his room, Gladion proudly presented the Prism Scale to the Feebas. "Look what I got for you!" he exclaimed. "Now we just need to work on your confidence, and you'll evolve into a beautiful Milotic!" The Feebas stared blankly, then proceeded to hide behind a plastic plant. Gladion's enthusiasm deflated slightly. "Okay, so we still have some work to do." As the weeks passed, Gladion's dreams grew grander. He imagined a future where he had a whole pool of Milotic, harvesting their scales and becoming the Prism Scale tycoon of the Pokémon world. He even started sketching out plans for "Gladion's Marvelous Milotic Emporium" in his school notebook. Meanwhile, the Feebas remained stubbornly un-evolved and unconfident. Gladion had tried everything – motivational speeches, underwater mirrors, even playing recorded applause every time the Feebas swam a lap around its tank. One night, frustrated and out of ideas, Gladion flopped onto his bed with a groan. "What am I doing wrong?" he muttered to himself. "Why won't you just believe you're beautiful?" As if in response, there was a small splash from the aquarium. Gladion sat up, his eyes wide. The Feebas was looking at him with an expression that almost seemed... sympathetic? Gladion walked over to the tank and knelt down, eye-level with the Feebas. "You know," he said softly, "maybe I've been going about this all wrong. It's not about me convincing you that you're beautiful. It's about you learning to love yourself, flaws and all." The Feebas tilted its head slightly, as if considering his words. "I mean, look at me," Gladion continued, gesturing to himself. "I'm not perfect. I've got my own insecurities and doubts. But that doesn't make me any less valuable or worthy. The same goes for you, Feebas. You don't need to be a Milotic to be amazing. You're already amazing just the way you are." As Gladion spoke, he noticed a subtle change in the Feebas's demeanor. Its eyes seemed to focus a bit more, and its fins moved with slightly more grace. It wasn't a dramatic transformation, but it was... something. Encouraged, Gladion continued, "We're going to work on this together, okay? No rush, no pressure. We'll take it one day at a time, and someday, you'll see yourself the way I see you – as a Pokémon with incredible potential." The Feebas swam a small circle in the tank, almost as if nodding in agreement. Just then, Gladion heard footsteps approaching his room. Quickly, he covered the tank and stepped away from the closet. The door opened, revealing his sister Gwen. "Hey, weirdo," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Mom wants us downstairs for dinner. And seriously, what are you always doing in here?" Gladion shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Just... studying. You know, typical school stuff." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Right. Well, come on then, study bug. Food's getting cold." As Gladion followed his sister out of the room, he cast one last glance at the covered aquarium. He may not have achieved his goal of evolving Feebas yet, but he felt like they had made a breakthrough today. It wasn't about quick transformations or get-rich-quick schemes. It was about patience, understanding, and genuine care. "I'll be back later," he whispered to the hidden Feebas. "We're in this for the long haul, buddy." As he headed downstairs, Gladion couldn't help but smile. He may have started this project with dreams of Prism Scales and profit, but he was beginning to realize that the real treasure was the bond he was forming with this unlikely Pokémon. -----------Author Notes------- Bonus chapter for today since I was free from work. Enjoy! Y'all can now read 12 extra chapters on my pat*reon. https://pat reon.com/mrmime24 [No Space]