Pokemon: Trait Master

While the two girls were still puzzling over Ash's decision, 

he had already released the newly caught Caterpie, 

then dumped the leftover food and prepared a fresh meal just for it. 

At the same time, he explained, 

"We sprayed bug repellent around this area." 

"But this Caterpie still pushed through, 

and it wasn't even afraid when Pikachu blocked its path." 

"That proves it has exceptional potential." 

"Don't underestimate it just because it's a Caterpie— 

I promise you, one day, it'll be a king among Bug-types." 

As Ash gently patted Caterpie's head, 

his voice was filled with expectation and confidence. 

Serena and Misty considered his words, 

realizing that Ash had a point— 

For a Caterpie to ignore repellent spray 

and charge forward fearlessly, 

it was definitely not an ordinary one. 

But still… the fact that it got caught so easily just because of a meal 

felt kind of unreal. 

That said, Misty still felt uneasy around Caterpie. 

She had been afraid of bug-like Pokémon since childhood, 

and Caterpie was no exception. 

Ash could only comfort her, 

telling her that Caterpie would evolve quickly into Metapod, 

and then it wouldn't look as scary anymore. 

--- 

Just as Caterpie happily enjoyed its meal, 

a Pidgeotto flew across the sky. 

At first, Ash ignored it— 

But then— 

after passing over them, the Pidgeotto suddenly turned back! 

And it was diving straight at them! 

Ash, who was always on high alert with his Aura, 

immediately sensed the incoming ambush. 

"Pikachu!" 

"Pika!!" 

That was all it took. 

Without another word, Pikachu understood Ash's command. 

His lightning bolt-shaped tail began to glow brightly, 

and in an instant, he leaped into the air— 

Intercepting Pidgeotto's dive head-on! 

His tail, now as hard as steel, 

swung down with crushing force! 

Iron Tail! 

BAM!! 

CRASH!! 

The Pidgeotto, which had been aiming to snatch Caterpie, 

was sent crashing to the ground, its eyes spinning in defeat. 

Ash scratched his head. 

"…What's with today?" 

First, a Caterpie showed up for my cooking. 

Now, this Pidgeotto came to snatch Caterpie. 

What kind of weird food chain event is this? 

Casually, Ash scanned the Pidgeotto's stats— 

And his eyes nearly popped out of his skull! 

[Name: Pidgeotto] 

[Gender: Male] 

[Trainer: None] 

[Type: Normal, Flying] 

[Level: Normal High-tier] 

[Ability: Keen Eye] 

[Moves: Quick Attack, Agility, Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Twister… ] 

[Talent: Elite Four] 

[Special Moves: None] 

[Traits: Diligent Bird (Gold), Regal Presence (Red), Exceptional Intellect (Purple), Hunter's Instinct (Purple)] 

Are you kidding me?! 

I randomly knock out a bird, and it turns out to be a Legendary find?! 

Ash knew all too well how rare Gold Traits were. 

Ever since he got the Trait System, 

he had only ever seen three Gold Traits— 

Pikachu 

Froakie 

And now, this Pidgeotto. 

What's up with today?! 

High-tier Legendary Traits were popping up left and right 

as if they were on sale! 

In just the span of a meal, he had encountered two high-tier Trait Pokémon! 

Even though Pidgeotto's Talent was only Elite Four-level, 

the Gold Trait gave it infinite potential! 

This was also the first time Ash had seen a Diligent Bird trait. 

He focused on its effect— 

[Diligent Bird] (Gold) 

- You are the hardest-working bird of all! 

- You can learn any move, regardless of type. 

- Legendary Pokémon moves are much harder to master, but not impossible. 

Ash: ? 

When I use this question mark, it's not because I'm confused— 

it's because I think YOU are the problem! 

"Diligent Bird"—are you serious?! 

This isn't just a Gold Trait— 

even among Gold Traits, this is ridiculously overpowered! 

It could learn ANY move! 

Even Legendary Pokémon's signature moves! 

Sure, Legendary moves would be harder to master— 

but not impossible. 

Well, damn. So THAT'S what "Diligent Bird" means, huh? 

This bird was insane! 

And to top it off, it also had— 

[Regal Presence] (Red) 

- You are a natural leader among Pokémon. 

- When leading a group battle, all allies in your team gain a 20% power boost. 

- Your ability to teach other Pokémon is increased by 200%. 

A mentor?! 

Ash suddenly had a realization— 

he might have just found a Pokémon 

that could train and guide the others in his backyard! 

Without hesitation, 

he pulled out a Poké Ball and caught Pidgeotto. 

Two powerful Pokémon in one day! 

This single day alone surpassed all his previous captures combined! 

To be fair, in past years, 

Ash had never caught any Pokémon. 

For one, he was too young before. 

For another— 

he had never found a Pokémon worthy of his attention. 

He wasn't against catching Pokémon, 

but his standards were very high— 

A Pokémon didn't just need to have good Traits. 

It needed to have good Talent, or at least look cool! 

Sure, Ash loved Pokémon, 

but he wasn't a charity organization— 

he couldn't catch every Pokémon he saw! 

---

"...Ash, you just…" 

Seeing Ash catch another Pokémon, 

Serena's confusion deepened. 

Caterpie made sense—it had something special. 

But why Pidgeotto? 

Unlike Caterpie, this Pidgeotto didn't do anything unusual. 

It just tried to steal food and got KO'd by Pikachu. 

What reason did Ash have for catching it? 

At this, Ash had no good explanation— 

so he just made something up and brushed it off. 

After all, Pidgeotto hadn't shown any remarkable traits. 

How was he supposed to explain that 

he could see hidden potential in Pokémon?