Just as Ash opened Froakie's system panel to check, he saw it confirmed—the previously grayed-out hidden ability in parentheses was now fully activated.
[Protean: Active.]
"Thanks so much, Mew! I really like this gift! But… I don't really have anything valuable to give you in return," Ash said, smiling earnestly. "How about I give you a hug instead? Or maybe the next time you come over to my place, I'll bake you a Sweet Pecha Pie myself. What do you think?"
"Mii~ I am the origin of all Pokémon, the guardian of the Tree of Beginning, the bearer of the Dream Law… not some housecat you can cuddle!"
"Hugs are out of the question," Mew huffed, puffing up proudly. "As for your so-called Sweet Pecha Pie—fine. When I've got time, I'll descend upon your home and gracefully sample it. Until then, you'd better level up your cooking skills. If you dare serve something inedible, know this—my palate is extremely picky!"
Before Ash could respond, Mew zipped into the sky in a flash of psychic light.
"Alright! Don't forget to come over for food!" Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted after Mew.
"Mii~ It's graceful tasting, not mooching!" Mew's voice echoed back faintly from the clouds.
A gentle breeze blew down from the mountain. On the grassy meadow below, waves of green rippled softly in the wind. Holding Froakie in his arms, Ash silently stared at the sky where Mew had vanished.
Today marked the end of the last activity in the summer camp.
Tomorrow morning, everyone would be departing.
Ash had wanted to use this final bit of free time to explore the outer edges of the valley, copying some moves off the local wild Pokémon.
But he hadn't expected to meet the origin Pokémon—Mew—out here.
He still wasn't sure whether Mew had mistaken him for someone else, or whether he truly was the reincarnation of "380"… either way, Mew had forged a Divine Contract with him.
Now, Ash was officially a Divine-Blessed One—he could summon Mew through the power of the contract.
And with Mew's acknowledgment, the Dream Law had branded itself upon him, boosting his Aura training speed by 5–10 times.
When he turned 10 and officially began his journey four years from now, not only would his Pokémon partners be formidable…
Even Ash himself would be a powerhouse no one could afford to underestimate.
But right now, what thrilled him most was that Froakie's hidden ability—Protean—had finally awakened!
…
[Protean]:
Before using a move, the Pokémon's type changes to match the move's type. The effect persists until another type move is used or the Pokémon leaves the battlefield.
For dual-type Pokémon, Protean temporarily converts them to single-type status.
With this ability, Froakie may look like a Water-type, but it couldn't be viewed as an ordinary Water-type in battle anymore.
Depending on the move it used, its type would shift accordingly.
For example, with Froakie's current move pool:
If it used Pound, Growl, or Quick Attack, it would turn into a Normal-type.
And while it remained a Normal-type, its Normal-type moves would gain Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB)—a solid boost to damage output.
Even more impressively…
If an opponent assumed Froakie was still Water-type and tried using Electric-type attacks, Ash could simply have Froakie use a Ground-type move, transforming it into a Ground-type.
And bam—complete immunity to Electric-type damage, even while standing still.
Although Froakie's level hadn't changed—it was still LV.17—its overall combat power had definitely risen sharply after awakening its hidden ability.
Of course, how well this power was used… depended entirely on the trainer's skill.
Luckily, Ash knew how to make full use of Protean. In battle, he'd help Froakie tap into the full potential of this mighty ability.
…
"Meeting Mew gave me an incredible opportunity… but if I want to become truly strong, I've still got to keep working hard."
"Let's head back. We're done here." Ash smiled and patted Froakie's little head.
"Froaa~!" Froakie nodded.
Back when Mew injected that pink energy into it, Froakie hadn't understood what was happening. But Ash had immediately jumped in to protect it.
That heartfelt defense had touched Froakie deeply. Its bond with Ash grew even stronger.
…
Forest Campgrounds
"Green! Have you seen Ash anywhere?" Serena rushed out from her cabin after downing a pack of herbal cold granules and resting for a bit. But now, she couldn't find the boy who'd been weighing on her mind all day.
"Ash? Oh, I think he took Froakie for a walk outside the forest," Green replied with a bright smile.
"Out in the woods? That's totally his style."
"Green, Shauna… you two keep doing your best for the contest! I'm going to find Ash!" Serena grabbed her Clefairy and dashed toward the forest trail.
…
"…Serena really is…" Green trailed off with a helpless smile.
"Oh, let her go," Shauna chimed in. "We all know how much she likes Ash. And tomorrow, we're leaving to head back to Kalos. Let them spend what little time's left together."
"This summer camp in the Kanto region was totally worth it. We made so many great friends."
"But honestly, the one who's changed the most is Serena. She used to be so shy and introverted. I never imagined she'd become this outgoing and confident in just a few weeks."
"And it's all thanks to Ash—he changed her life," Shauna said softly.
"He's mature, kind, strong… and handsome too. No wonder all the girls in camp like him."
Green's grin turned mischievous.
"So Shauna, does that include you too?"
"You little—!" Shauna's face turned red as she playfully swatted at Green. "You're teasing me again!"
"Heehee~ What's there to be shy about? A guy like Ash… he's bound to have more than one girlfriend in the future. It's not like we live in the old-fashioned days anymore."
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