Pokemon: Trait Master

"Let's battle, Misty!" 

That single sentence saved Misty from total embarrassment! 

She revived on the spot, rushing in front of Ash. 

"I showed up exactly for this reason, Ash!" 

"I might let others slide, but I won't let you take Cerulean Gym's Badge so easily!" 

"It's time for you to witness the ultimate, invincible, super-gorgeous girl's unparalleled strength! 

Otherwise, you'll think I'm just some pretty face!" 

At that moment, the Cerulean Sisters coldly interjected— 

"Ultimate, invincible, super-gorgeous girl?" 

"Unparalleled strength?" 

"Pretty face?" 

"Misty, do any of those words actually apply to you?" 

One after another, they threw in their remarks, 

leaving Misty completely red with frustration! 

They were flat-out calling her both weak and ugly! 

Just as Misty was about to explode, 

Ash spoke up calmly— 

"I think Misty is actually pretty cute." 

"She's just not as mature as you three yet, 

but once she grows up, 

she probably won't be any less beautiful than you sisters." 

"Besides, Misty's Pokémon and her battle command are far from weak. 

You should take notes and learn from her battle later." 

Ash might be Misty's traveling companion, 

but how could he just stand by and watch her get completely trashed like this? 

Sure, Misty hadn't fully grown into her looks yet, 

but she already showed the makings of a beauty. 

Calling her an ugly duckling was going a bit too far. 

If she weren't so hot-headed, 

most normal people would rate her at least a solid 69/100 potential beauty. 

That said, Misty had never shown her fiery side to Ash. 

After all, Ash had been taking care of her throughout their journey— 

if she still acted bratty toward him, 

then she'd have some serious issues with her personality and mindset. 

Ash's words left Misty blushing furiously— 

her fair cheeks turning as red as a boiled shrimp, 

and even a little steam seemed to rise from her head! 

Serena, standing beside them, furrowed her brows slightly, 

but after a brief moment of thought, 

she relaxed again. 

Meanwhile, the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder gave him a shocked look. 

"Not bad, kid—high emotional intelligence!" 

Sensing Pikachu's gaze, Ash slowly raised a question mark in his mind. 

What's with that look? You think I can't read between the lines? 

"…Ahem, if Ash says so, 

then maybe we just don't know Misty well enough." 

"So, dear youngest sister, 

care to show us just how amazing you are?" 

Daisy, the eldest sister, had keenly noticed the subtle tension between Ash, Misty, and Serena. 

And when she saw Serena frown and purse her lips, 

she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. 

So, she stepped in, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere. 

Unlike her two younger sisters, 

who genuinely thought Misty was just a weak little brat, 

Daisy believed in Misty's potential. 

Misty might not be mature yet, 

but Daisy had always known that one day, 

Misty would be the rightful heir to Cerulean Gym. 

And at the end of the day, Misty was still her little sister. 

In this battlefield of love, 

of course, she had to support her own sibling! 

And as for this Ash guy… 

If he ended up becoming Misty's future partner, 

Daisy felt like… she could accept it. 

At least from what she'd observed so far, 

he seemed like a great catch. 

Of course, she still had to test his true character and ability. 

But considering he already had two girls interested in him, 

she figured… he was probably in high demand! 

— 

After Daisy spoke, Ash and Misty stepped onto the battlefield of Cerulean Gym. 

The two stood opposite each other, 

and Misty's expression was serious like never before. 

Her opponent this time was Ash! 

After traveling with him, 

Misty was fully aware of just how strong Ash was. 

Hearing Ash say that her command skills and Pokémon weren't weak, 

she was, of course, thrilled. 

But she also knew the truth— 

Compared to Ash, 

her abilities were not even close. 

She had at least an 80% chance of losing. 

Even so… 

she had to fight! 

She wanted to show Ash that she was capable too! 

— 

"The battle format is 2v2! 

The Gym Leader cannot switch Pokémon! 

Battle—BEGIN!" 

Daisy, acting as the referee, quickly announced the rules and started the match! 

"Go, my precious Pokémon!!" 

Misty made the first move—sending out Staryu! 

"Staryu, huh…? 

Alright, I choose you—Froakie!" 

Ash tossed a Poké Ball, 

and Froakie appeared on one of the floating platforms in the pool. 

Meanwhile, in the spectator seats, Violet raised an eyebrow. 

"Huh? The kid's not using Pikachu?" 

"But Pikachu has type advantage against Misty…?" 

Though they weren't expert battlers, 

they had been Gym Leaders for a while. 

Knowing basic type matchups was a given. 

Pikachu, an Electric-type, had a clear advantage over Misty's Water-types. 

And yet, Ash was sending out… 

a Water-type against a Water-type? 

"Is this kid just bluffing?" 

Serena, sitting beside her, parted her lips slightly before responding— 

"Because Pikachu is too strong!" 

"Ever since I started traveling with Ash, 

Pikachu has barely had to battle." 

"And when it does… 

it defeats opponents in a single move." 

"Pikachu is Ash's absolute ace. 

Unless the opponent is extremely powerful, 

he doesn't use Pikachu." 

The implication? 

Misty wasn't strong enough to warrant Pikachu battling. 

Even if Ash had sent Pikachu into the match, 

it might hesitate to attack because of their shared travel experiences. 

"Pfft, come on… it's just a Pikachu." 

Lily muttered under her breath. 

In Kanto, Pikachu was a common Electric-type Pokémon. 

Even with a type advantage, 

she doubted Ash's Pikachu could be that strong. 

But seeing how much praise Serena was giving it, 

she felt both skeptical and curious about just how powerful it really was. 

As the spectators whispered among themselves, 

the battle on the field was about to erupt!