Pokemon: Trait Master

Froakie had long been on the verge of evolution. 

Ash had deliberately delayed its evolution to ensure a stronger foundation. 

Otherwise, with all the battles it had fought, 

the nutritional benefits of Ash's meals, 

and Froakie's rapid growth, 

it would have evolved a long time ago! 

But evolving too quickly wasn't necessarily a good thing. 

Now, its evolution into Frogadier was within Ash's expectations. 

Upon evolving, Frogadier's strength had reached Advanced Tier. 

Ash estimated that soon, 

it would break into the Elite Tier. 

And with the support of its traits, 

Frogadier could likely battle beyond its rank. 

— 

"Misty, it's time to send out your next Pokémon." 

"Huh? Oh, right! Return, Staryu!" 

Ash's words snapped Misty out of her daze, 

and she recalled Staryu to its Poké Ball. 

It wasn't surprising— 

after all, witnessing a Pokémon evolve was always a spectacle. 

Even Misty's sisters, who had been teasing her earlier, 

were now speechless, 

their eyes filled with awe. 

The phenomenon of Pokémon evolution truly was one of nature's great wonders. 

"Go, my ace—Starmie!" 

Misty sent out her second Pokémon, 

her strongest Pokémon—Starmie! 

After training with Ash, 

Starmie had reached Advanced Intermediate-tier, 

and it was on the brink of an even higher level. 

This progress was largely due to the training plans Ash had set for Misty, 

along with all the battles and enhanced meals they had experienced together. 

"Frogadier, this match is still yours—finish it in one go!" 

Ash had no plans to switch Pokémon. 

Previously, when he counterpicked with Pidgeotto against Brock, 

it was merely a lesson for Misty. 

But now, Frogadier had just evolved— 

its momentum was at its peak, 

and it was ready to keep fighting! 

Plus, Ash wanted to test its new combat style! 

"Starmie, use Thunderbolt!" 

Although Starmie was a Water-type, 

it could learn Electric-type moves— 

and Misty had never used this move in front of Ash before. 

She had hoped to catch him off guard! 

But— 

"Frogadier, dodge!" 

With a swift jump, 

Frogadier easily dodged the golden lightning bolt. 

The Thunderbolt struck the floating platform, 

charring its pristine white surface. 

"So fast!" 

Misty gasped in shock. 

Her Starmie's Thunderbolt was already fast, 

but Frogadier's speed had increased dramatically compared to when it was still a Froakie! 

Even Ash was surprised. 

Sure, Pokémon typically got faster after evolution, 

but this level of improvement was insane! 

Then he noticed— 

The weights on Frogadier's wrists and ankles were gone. 

Instantly, he understood. 

The limb weights had fallen off during evolution, 

and combined with the natural speed boost, 

Frogadier's agility had skyrocketed! 

Right now, its speed probably rivaled that of an Elite-tier Pokémon! 

"Looks like I'll have to prepare new training weights for it after this battle." 

With that in mind, 

Ash didn't hesitate to give the next command— 

"Frogadier, use Cut!" 

"Krrrsh!" 

Frogadier lowered its stance, 

one hand resting at its waist. 

In an instant— 

a gleaming white energy blade extended from its hand! 

Then, in a flash, 

Frogadier vanished from its original position! 

Before Misty could even react— 

Frogadier appeared right in front of Starmie! 

With a swift, decisive motion— 

it slashed down with its glowing blade! 

"BOOM!!" 

Starmie was blasted backward, 

crashing into the pool wall with enough force to cause cracks in the structure! 

Compared to before, 

Frogadier was now built for close combat. 

Its physique had developed significantly— 

back when it was still Froakie, 

its small limbs made melee combat impractical. 

But now, 

Frogadier's physical prowess had skyrocketed. 

"Starmie!" 

Misty called out worriedly, 

but her Pokémon remained dizzy, 

spinning dazedly in place. 

It was clearly staggered from the impact. 

"It's over. Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" 

"Krrrsh!" 

Frogadier quickly formed a spinning blue energy sphere, 

then hurled it forward! 

The Water Pulse exploded into a powerful torrent, 

sweeping the already-dizzy Starmie straight into the air! 

When the attack finally subsided, 

Starmie landed outside the battlefield, 

completely unable to battle. 

"Starmie is unable to battle—Frogadier wins!" 

Daisy announced the result— 

though she had almost called it "Froakie" by accident. 

If Ash hadn't called its name earlier, 

Daisy wouldn't have even known what to call it. 

Misty looked disappointed as she recalled Starmie. 

She had lost both matches without much resistance. 

The gap between her and Ash… 

was far greater than she had ever imagined. 

After a brief silence, 

Daisy walked up to Misty, 

gently patting her on the head. 

"It's okay, Misty. You did great." 

"If it were us facing Ash, 

we would've been so shocked that we wouldn't have even known what to do." 

Seeing Froakie's acrobatic movements, 

then watching it evolve into Frogadier… 

For Misty to have stayed calm and commanded her Pokémon, 

her composure was already far better than that of her older sisters. 

Misty stared blankly at Daisy's gentle hand. 

In all her years, 

she couldn't remember her eldest sister ever speaking to her this kindly before… 

But before she could savor the rare moment, 

Daisy quickly withdrew her hand and turned toward Ash. 

Reaching into her pocket, 

she pulled out a water-drop-shaped badge and handed it to him. 

"This is the Cascade Badge. Please, take it." 

"Thank you." 

Ash accepted it without hesitation, 

pinning it onto his chest. 

However, his focus quickly shifted to something else— 

A trait had just dropped. 

And this time… 

It was another jackpot. 

While defeating Staryu had only given a Blue-tier trait, 

defeating Starmie had yielded a Red-tier trait— 

[Surging Tides]! 

[Surging Tides] (Red): 

"Attack like the rolling waves—relentless, powerful, unstoppable! When using Water-type moves, each consecutive use increases move power: 

- 2nd use: +10% power 

- 3rd use: +20% power 

- Max stacking bonus: +70% power!" 

Ash's eyes gleamed. 

Another huge upgrade for Frogadier! 

This battle had been worth it!