"Valor, Lumina, although I've helped you learn new moves, you should rest for the next few days," Ash Ketchum said gently to the two Pokémon in the river.
"Once you've fully adjusted to the environment here, I'll start your formal training. For today, just go play with Gary's Magikarp."
"Waah—!"
"Glu…!"
After settling Valor the Magikarp and Lumina the Feebas, Ash turned to the three Pokémon standing nearby.
"Pikachu, your strength has grown a bit too fast recently, and you only evolved yesterday afternoon. For the next few days, focus more on technique refinement and basic conditioning.
"Today's morning task is to train Quick Attack, raising its proficiency from Novice to Skilled. Once that's done, spend the remaining time running to build stamina."
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded firmly.
"Frogadier, your morning task is to train Grass Knot and Mud-Slap, pushing both toward the Proficient level.
"Pidgeotto, your task is Air Slash."
"Frog—!"
"Pii-bii!"
Both Pokémon nodded in acknowledgment.
The three Pokémon immediately began their morning training. Now that the threat from Team Rocket was gone, the pressure had eased—but their motivation had not.
Their levels were now very close:
Pidgeotto LV.32Frogadier LV.31Pikachu LV.30
Previously, there had been a clear gap between them. Now that they were nearly equal, a competitive atmosphere naturally formed within the team. Each of them trained with visible intensity, eager to surpass the others and prove themselves as the strongest.
Seeing how focused they were, Ash went on to Stone Bridge and Dashiwan Valley, healing injured wild Pokémon along the way before returning to join the training.
Time flew by when one was fully absorbed. After an hour of morning exercises, Ash returned home for breakfast. Following a brief rest, he prepared for the main training session of the morning.
However, instead of personally supervising Pikachu and the others as usual, Ash assigned them their tasks and temporarily entrusted them to Gary.
Ash himself carried Lumina, the Shiny Feebas, and headed next door—to Green's house.
…
"Ash? What's up?" Green asked, surprised.
Normally, Ash would be busy training his Pokémon at this hour, so his sudden visit caught her off guard.
"Well… I caught a Feebas yesterday," Ash explained.
"It's a Shiny Pokémon, and by Pokémon standards, its appearance is… even less appealing than a normal Feebas."
"Because of that, it's become very self-conscious. I want to help it overcome that inferiority, and the idea I came up with was… makeup."
"But, you know, I'm a guy. I don't really understand makeup the way girls do. I looked up some materials and Pokémon beauty videos yesterday, but I'm still pretty lost."
"So today, I wanted to ask you for advice—about makeup techniques—and see if you could help design a couple of looks for my Feebas."
"Shiny Feebas?!"
"Wow, Ash—you're amazing. Without even realizing it, you've already got Pokémon this rare," Green said in astonishment.
"Using makeup to enhance Feebas's appearance?" she continued thoughtfully.
"That's actually a really good idea. Could you let it out so I can take a closer look?"
"Of course."
"Lumina, come out."
Ash fetched a basin of water and released Feebas in front of Green.
"Wow… it really is a Shiny Feebas," Green said, eyes wide as she examined the purple scales.
"Did you name it Lumina?"
"Hi, Lumina. I'm Green, and this is my Dedenne," she said warmly, crouching down to greet it. Her eyes were clear and sincere—there wasn't a trace of disgust or judgment.
At first, Lumina was nervous around a stranger. But seeing Green's friendly attitude and genuine gaze, it gradually relaxed.
"Pokémon and humans have different aesthetics," Ash said softly.
"From my perspective as a Trainer, Feebas doesn't look ugly at all—but Lumina doesn't see it that way."
"Instead of spending a long time trying to make it understand the abstract concept of inner beauty, it's probably better to start by respecting its own wishes and improving its appearance a little."
"What do you think, Green? Any suggestions?"
"Leave it to me," Green said confidently.
"Whether it's Pokémon or humans—there's no such thing as an ugly female, only a lazy one. With enough effort, anyone can become beautiful."
"And makeup is a very deep field. You're not trying to become a professional makeup artist—just to help Feebas look better—so you don't need to learn everything."
"I'll design two or three fixed makeup styles for Lumina, make a list of the cosmetics needed, and teach you the required techniques. After that, you just follow the steps I give you."
"That sounds perfect," Ash nodded. "I really don't know much about this."
"OK!" Green said brightly, confidence rising as she got to work.
…
Green had a natural talent for art. She went to her room, opened a pink laptop decorated with Hello Kitty stickers, launched Photoshop, connected her drawing tablet, and quickly sketched a Feebas.
With some coloring adjustments, the Feebas on-screen now had deep purple scales like Lumina's, bluish-gray fins, thick lips, and slightly vacant eyes—surrounded by narrow, panda-like dark circles. Dark purple spots were scattered across its lighter purple body.
For the first time, Lumina saw its own appearance from a third-person perspective.
Peeking out of the water basin to look at Green's drawing, the self-doubt in Lumina's eyes deepened.
"Lumina, don't feel inferior," Green said gently, immediately noticing the change.
"Other wild Pokémon think you're ugly because they don't know how to appreciate beauty."
"But in our eyes, you're very special—very beautiful."
Hearing those words, Lumina's trembling gaze slowly steadied.
And for the first time since it was caught, a faint spark of confidence flickered within its eyes.
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