c118: Mage? I, Ash, Am a Warrior! And Then Helped Gary's Fletchling Learn a Long-Range Move Ember Before Heading to Bed
The four boys in the same dorm Ash, Gary, Tierno, and Trevor—had all received their summer camp Pokémon earlier in the week. Among them, Ash's Froakie, Tierno's Poliwag, and Trevor's Sandshrew all had access to ranged special moves like Water Gun, Bubble, and Sand Attack, respectively.
Only Gary's Fletchling, a Normal/Flying-type, lacked a long-range special attack, which significantly limited its overall combat performance in skill-based camp challenges.
Although Fletchling wasn't Gary's official Pokémon he didn't plan to apply to keep it after the camp it would still be his primary companion during the upcoming events. To help boost Gary's score potential, Ash took the initiative during dinner to help Fletchling learn the move Ember, by referencing a Fire-type Pokémon owned by another student, who had received a Torchic.
While Ember is a basic Fire-type move, it was particularly powerful for this batch of Level 5 Pokémon assigned to the campers. For early-stage training, even a single ranged move like Ember could noticeably raise Fletchling's effectiveness in battle.
Ash wasn't concerned that aiding Gary might hurt his own ranking for "Excellent Student" of the camp. Final rankings were based on cumulative scores across events, and multiple top scorers could share the same rank if points were equal.
Moreover, the Pokémon Summer Camp's core mission was to help the Pokémon League and Professor Oak identify rising stars in various Pokémon fields. From the League's standpoint, the more excellent students, the better especially ones with teamwork and leadership qualities like Ash's.
"Good night, Froakie!" Ash said after helping Gary's Fletchling complete the skill training session. He climbed into bed.
"Froaa~" Froakie croaked softly as he curled up on the comforter and quickly drifted to sleep.
It had been a long and exhausting day particularly the morning showdown with the rampaging Gyarados during the Fishing Contest, which had taken a lot out of both Ash and Froakie.
Outside, the moonlight bathed the camp in a silvery glow. The rustling tree shadows swirled gently in the night breeze as the forest returned to peace. One by one, the stars overhead seemed to quietly fade away toward dawn.
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"BZZT"
At exactly 6:30 a.m., the alarm clock beside Ash's bed went off. But true to the old habits left behind by his pre-camp self, Ash didn't get up right away.
The ringing stirred Froakie, who opened his eyes sleepily. He glanced at Ash, still deep in slumber.
Froakie: "…"
After just two days together, Froakie had already mastered the most important partner skill: waking Ash up.
If nudging didn't work, he knew what to do step directly onto Ash's chest. And he did just that.
"Ugh—pfft!!"
"Morning, Froakie…" Ash muttered, half-conscious, as he opened his eyes and found his Pokémon perched squarely on his chest.
"Froaa~ (¯_¯)" croaked Froakie lazily.
"Ahhh" Ash let out a huge yawn. As much as he wanted to roll over and sleep again, he forced himself to get up and get dressed.
He went through his morning routine: brushing teeth, washing up, and even applying his Frog Prince-brand kids' face cream a gift from home that had somehow made its way into his luggage.
Once finished, Ash quietly closed the dorm door behind him and walked with Froakie toward the edge of the campgrounds the same place where they had trained the previous morning.
"Froakie, yesterday during our early training session, you didn't quite master the move Liquidation Ring. Let's keep working on that today."
"Also, starting today, we'll add a new move to your morning drill Water Pulse. Think you're up for it?"
"Froaa~ (¯~¯)" Froakie nodded confidently.
Yesterday's routine had focused on taking unfamiliar moves like Quick Attack and Liquidation Ring and practicing them until they became smooth and battle-ready. By the end of the session, both moves had improved significantly.
Today, only Water Pulse remained at zero familiarity. The Liquidation Ring had already reached 86% proficiency, thanks to Ash's guidance.
And with that, the two launched into another sunrise training session—ready to sharpen their skills for whatever challenges the next summer camp activity would bring.
Compared to yesterday, today's morning training routine was significantly less intense, making it easier for Froakie to tackle. Given the reduced difficulty and his natural discipline, Froakie radiated quiet confidence as he prepared to begin.
"Alright, since you're confident, let's get started."
"Froaa!"
Froakie's crisp response was followed by immediate, focused movement as he launched into his drills.
According to the internal profile visible via the system interface, Froakie's nature is listed as Serious. In reality, he showed unwavering focus whether in battle, training, or even helping Ash with minor camp tasks.
Even without Ash issuing constant commands or corrections, Froakie would methodically execute every part of his assigned training routine. His commitment to excellence left Ash thoroughly impressed.
In Ash's eyes, Froakie was already shaping up to be a core team member, not unlike Pikachu in the anime timeline or Charmander and Bulbasaur in The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga. But this Froakie joined Ash even earlier than in the canon timeline of Pokémon XY, almost like a starter Pokémon received at age 10.
That early bond had weight. Even if future aces like Charizard, Snorlax, Heracross, Sceptile, or Infernape rejoined Ash's team later on—as they had in both manga and anime—Froakie's foundational role, solidified through early growth and trust, would likely remain unshaken.
This wasn't just about sentiment. Froakie's position as a mainstay in the team was earned through sheer power, consistency, and a natural synergy with Ash.
[Ding! Skill "Liquidation Ring" trained once Proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill "Water Pulse" trained once Proficiency +1]
Learning from the overexertion of the previous morning, Ash had toned down today's regimen. As a result, by 7:30 AM, Froakie had already finished the entire session, without showing signs of fatigue.
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Froakie — Status Window
Level: LV.14 (72/88 EXP)
Type: Water
Nature: Serious
Ability: Torrent
Hidden Ability: Protean
Gifted Trait: Bond Phenomenon (Fetter Transform)
HP: 41
Attack: 56
Defense: 40
Special Attack: 62
Special Defense: 44
Speed: 71
Total Stats: 314
Potential Grade: S (Peerless Tier)
"Blessed by the latent forces of the Kalos Region. This Froakie carries the spark of destiny, foreseen to awaken during a regional calamity."
Skills Learned
Mastered: Pound (37/1000), Bubble (36/1000)
Proficient: Growl (23/500), Liquidation Ring (12/500), Water Pulse (7/500), Quick Attack (12/500)
Unfamiliar: Lick (1/100)
(Info retrieved via De Nuo Interface)
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While Froakie carried out his drills, Ash didn't sit idle.
Although his psychic gifts both the Aura (Waveguide) and the mysterious Peripheral Force had already been awakened through earlier spiritual trials, Ash still made time for daily physical training.
The Aura, channeled through methods similar to Sir Aaron's "All Things Listen" meditation, and the Peripheral Force trained through poetic, ritual-like exchanges ("offering roses, and leaving fragrance") could be refined while at rest. Yet Ash chose to move.
Despite his developing psychic strength, Ash did not see himself as a mage. Like his idolized Trainer self in the manga who tackled everything from climbing Mt. Silver to fighting Team Rocket barehanded Ash embraced the identity of a warrior.
Besides, he knew that one day he'd carry Pikachu on his shoulder nearly full-time. Traveling, climbing, training, and battling would all demand strong core stamina.
Thus, morning exercise wasn't just Froakie's responsibility. Ash, too, laced up his shoes and began a sustained jog around the entire perimeter of the summer camp, keeping pace for over an hour.
He had a partner to keep up with and a world ahead of him.
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