After returning home, Ash first fed Marill some food suitable for Water-type Pokémon. Once it had eaten its fill, he used the Poké Ball transfer machine to send Marill over to Cerulean Gym, where Misty was waiting.
Marill had an adorable appearance and respectable strength. With its Fairy typing and the Huge Power Ability, Marill had earned the nickname "Dragon Slayer" among civilian Trainers and was extremely popular.
In any case, Marill meeting someone like Misty—who loved Water-type Pokémon with all her heart—was a happy outcome for both sides.
Marill trusted Ash deeply, so Ash was glad it would be partnered with a Trainer who would cherish it. And as a friend, he was genuinely happy that Misty had obtained such a rare Pokémon.
But the thing that made Ash happiest today was still Spearow's evolution into Fearow.
Because compared to anything else, the thing Ash cared about the most had always been the Pokémon in his own team.
…
After dinner, Ash stayed downstairs in the living room for a while, watching TV with his mother.
Then he washed up and went upstairs.
"Pikachu, Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Fearow, and also Valor and Lumina, you guys play by yourselves for now."
"I need to refine your move frameworks, so try not to disturb me."
"Pika~!"
"Frog~!"
"Pidgee~!"
"Skraah~!"
The Pokémon all responded obediently.
Ash sat down at the desk by the window, took out his notebook, and began refining the training plans for his Pokémon.
Especially Fearow, which had just evolved into its final form today.
Its level had suddenly jumped to LV.30, and its strength had increased significantly. With its newly evolved body, Fearow would now need extensive training to adapt quickly to its new form and fully control its increased power.
"Next comes refining its move framework and conducting targeted training for Speed and Physical Attack."
Ash muttered to himself while jotting down notes.
"The first item I'll buy at the City Arena will definitely be the Light Ball for Pikachu."
"So Quick Claw, Sharp Beak, and Scope Lens—the three items meant for Fearow—will have to wait."
He continued thinking while sketching diagrams in the notebook.
Quick Claw would strengthen Fearow's talons and increase its action speed—an excellent item for it.
Sharp Beak was even more obvious.
It enhanced the strength of a Pokémon's beak and provided a constant 20% power boost to Flying-type moves.
This item was something every Flying-type Pokémon desired, but in Ash's opinion, it suited Pokémon like Fearow, Skarmory, and Toucannon the most.
Then there was the Scope Lens.
It was also extremely compatible with Fearow.
The Scope Lens made it easier for a Pokémon to strike an opponent's weak points and critical spots.
When paired with Fearow's Hidden Ability—Sniper, which dramatically increased damage when hitting a critical spot, it could push Fearow's offensive power to an entirely new level.
However—
Pokémon items were still external aids.
Using items was something closer to mid-to-late-stage optimization in Pokémon training.
The most important factors remained the Pokémon's own abilities:
Fundamental conditioningLevel growthMove mastery
Ash understood this clearly.
Even though he pursued powerful items, he always considered the Pokémon's own strength as the absolute core.
At present, among Ash's team:
Pikachu and Fearow had already reached their final evolutionary forms.
Their development paths were clear. They simply needed consistent training.
However, the other four Pokémon—
Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Magikarp, and Feebas—
had not evolved yet.
Frogadier and Pidgeotto could still battle effectively even without reaching their final forms.
But Magikarp and Feebas were different.
Without evolving into Gyarados and Milotic, they simply couldn't compete in battles at the City Arena.
Even so, Ash still hoped Frogadier and Pidgeotto would evolve eventually.
Especially Pidgeotto.
After all, when Ash once helped Team Rocket treat Mewtwo, he had obtained a set of Pidgeot Mega Evolution Stones.
If Pidgeotto never evolved into Pidgeot, those Mega Stones would remain useless.
Ash twirled the pen between his fingers and summoned the system panel for one of his Pokémon.
[Pokémon: Frogadier]
Level: LV.36
Type: Water
Nature: Serious
Abilities:
TorrentProtean(Ethereal-Gifted Ability)Bond Phenomenon
HP: 54
Attack: 63
Defense: 52
Sp. Atk: 83
Sp. Def: 56
Speed: 97
Total: 405
Potential:Purple (Peerless) +7.4%
Marked by the destiny of the Kalos region—destined to shoulder the mission of saving Kalos during the great catastrophe that threatens its future.
Moves (Copyable):
[Mastered] (1/5000):
Water Shuriken, Aqua Ring, Water Pulse, Quick Attack, Rain Dance, Smokescreen
[Proficient] (1/1000):
Pound, Bubble, Growl, Lick, Round, Mud Sport, Grass Knot, Fling, Smack Down, Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Haze, U-turn
[Skilled] (1/500):
Low Kick, Extrasensory, Aerial Ace, Smack Down, Pursuit
[Novice] (1/100):
Water: —
Fire: —
Grass: Grass Knot
Bug: U-turn
Poison: Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Gunk Shot
Dark: —
Electric: —
Ice: Haze, Ice Punch, Blizzard, Icy Wind, Ice Beam
Steel: —
Dragon: —
Normal: —
Fighting: Power-Up Punch, Low Kick, Mat Block
Psychic: Role Play, Rest, Extrasensory
Ghost: Lick, Grudge, Shadow Sneak
Flying: Bounce, Aerial Ace, Acrobatics
Rock: Smack Down, Rock Tomb, Rock Slide
Ground: Mud Sport, Spikes
…
Ash spun the pen thoughtfully while studying the data panel.
As the first Pokémon he had ever truly trained, Frogadier had already mastered nearly every off-type move it could learn.
Regarding Frogadier's Protean Ability, Ash had divided its development into two major directions:
Defense and Offense.
The defensive aspect was almost complete.
During battle, when facing Pokémon that countered Water-types—like Electric or Grass—if Frogadier couldn't dodge an incoming attack, it could activate Protean by using a move of the corresponding type.
By temporarily changing its own typing, it could reduce the damage taken.
But while the defensive training was largely complete—
The second half—
Offensive development—
still awaited.
And that meant one thing.
Frogadier needed to learn even more powerful moves of different types.
That way, when attacking enemies weak to those types—
It could activate Protean, change its own type, and gain the Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB).
Which would drastically increase the damage output of its attacks.
Ash tapped the pen against the notebook.
Frogadier's true potential…
Was only beginning to awaken.
--------------
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