c119: Nurse Joy Introduces a Girlfriend to Ash!!
"Alright, Froakie, that wraps up our morning routine for today."
After Froakie completed his daily skill drills, Ash took him on two full laps around the perimeter of the forest camp. It was only then that he allowed the session to officially end.
"Froaa~!"
"Ash, you're really dedicated," said Nurse Joy, walking over with a clipboard in hand, the early sunlight filtering through the trees behind her. "You've been up early every day, taking Froakie out for structured morning training. That kind of discipline is rare at your age." She smiled. "Are you planning to formally apply for Froakie as your starter Pokémon at the end of the summer camp?"
Her words weren't unfounded. Froakie, a Water-type Starter Pokémon from the Kalos Region, belonged to one of the official Three Dervish Families the starter Pokémon line given by regional professors when a trainer turns ten, similar to how Red received his Bulbasaur from Professor Oak in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
"You've already built a solid bond with Froakie during these two weeks at camp," she continued, "and that relationship gives you a serious edge before your formal Trainer Journey even begins."
Joy then added with a proud smile, "And Ash, you earned perfect scores in the last three camp activities. You're ranked first overall on the Student Performance Board. If you can hold that lead, there's no doubt you'll be named one of this year's Excellent Students."
Over the past few days, Nurse Joy who managed the camp's temporary Pokémon Center had gotten to know Ash well. She was genuinely impressed with the boy who, though just six years old, displayed maturity, talent, and diligence beyond his years.
"Oh, and Ash," she said curiously, handing Froakie back after a post-training checkup, "I heard from Professor Oak and a few campers that you possess a psychic ability that lets you heal Pokémon. Is that really true?"
Ash nodded slightly. "Yeah, it's true."
Since he had chosen to reveal this ability earlier, Ash wasn't particularly worried about more people knowing. After all, he wasn't an ordinary six-year-old. With the mind of a grown man in a child's body, having traveled from another world, Ash had long considered various methods to earn money and prepare for his Trainer journey.
Initially, he'd made the healing ability public precisely to attract attention from figures like Professor Oak and officials from the Kanto Pokémon League. The idea was to leverage the non-combative "Peripheral Power" for potential part-time work at Pokémon Centers like offering healing services, a practical skill similar to Green's "Pokémon Whisperer" techniques in Pokémon Adventures.
However, his plans evolved quickly. Now that he could copy and transfer moves through a special system interface and sell those services through an online skill shop his earning power had skyrocketed.
That made the idea of part-time clinic work less appealing. He didn't need more money just enough money. With time better spent on strengthening Froakie and building his core team, the healing job idea was shelved.
"Really!?" Joy's eyes sparkled. "You really can use healing Psychic techniques? That's amazing!"
Then came the unexpected:
"By the way, Ash, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. "Our Joy family's niece, Stephanie, is famously gentle and sweet! If you don't mind, would you like me to introduce ten potential girlfriends?"
Ash blinked. So that's why she's been so eager lately… she wants to set me up? Or borrow money?
Ash sweat-dropped. "Miss Joy… I'm six. Your topic is way too advanced for me."
Joy gave a small giggle. "Oh, you mean you'd rather wait until you're older? That's fine too~!"
Ash sighed. "(;一_一)…"
Escaping the enthusiastic matchmaking, Ash quickly took Froakie and made his way to the dining hall for breakfast.
By now, his dorm mates Gary, Tierno, and Trevor had already woken up. When they saw Ash's empty bed that morning, they immediately guessed where he'd gone.
"Yup, out for morning drills again," Gary said with a grin. "He's really consistent."
Knowing Ash would return right before breakfast time, Gary had thoughtfully saved a tray for him, placing it on the table with a milk carton and two berry sandwiches.
"Ash, over here!" Gary waved from across the cafeteria, raising his hand when he spotted Ash and Froakie at the entrance.
A group of students nearby overheard and turned toward them.
"Did you hear?" one whispered. "Ash has been taking Froakie out for training every morning at 6:30 sharp!"
"No way!" another gasped. "That's before the sun's even fully up! We're all still knocked out in bed at that time."
"Where'd you even hear that?" a third camper asked. "Is it true?"
"Totally," the first one replied. "Gary and Tierno both said so."
Their chatter only increased Ash's growing reputation across the camp. While most students enjoyed their free mornings, Ash had already begun carving a path one that would eventually set him apart as a future Pokémon Champion.
"It has to be true. I heard it from Nurse Joy at the camp yesterday," one student said with admiration in his voice. "She said that Ash has been taking Froakie out for dawn training the past two mornings every day before the others even get up."
"That's real dedication. No wonder he's so strong already," another chimed in. "During yesterday's fishing challenge, he and Froakie even managed to defeat that raging Gyarados that broke out of the lake. That thing scared the life out of the counselors, and Ash handled it like a pro."
"But what do you think Ash is working so hard for? The summer camp only has three main competitions so far"
"Yeah, and Ash has already scored a perfect 10 in each one. Right now, he's ranked number one in the 'Student Achievement Score Overall Rankings'. Even the friends closest to him, like Gary and Goh, have fallen behind."
"There are still seven more camp activities left, but most students have stopped aiming for the top. Let's be real Ash has the title of 'Excellent Student of the Summer Camp' practically locked down already."
"So if that's the case… why does he keep pushing himself and Froakie so hard?"
"You don't know?" a camper whispered dramatically. "I overheard Goh telling someone yesterday Ash is planning to submit an official application to make Froakie his starter Pokémon, his Earl Dervish."
"Wait—seriously?! Isn't that a bit rash? I mean, I thought the Pokémon distributed to students during summer camp were all less talented than the official Earl Dervish Pokémon given to licensed rookie Trainers by the Pokémon League when they turn ten."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too, but apparently that only applies to common species not to the regional starters. Froakie is part of the Kalos starter trio, just like Chespin and Fennekin. That class of Pokémon isn't inferior at all, even if given out during summer camp."
"Ohh, I get it now. Since Froakie is a legit regional starter, choosing him early isn't a loss at all. So if Ash trains him now, it's just smart preparation for when his real journey begins."
"Exactly. That's why Ash is working so hard. He's not just winning points he's building his team. Every second spent training Froakie now is shaping his future ace."
"I gotta say, Ash really is something else. He's the only one in camp who dares to talk about his dream of becoming 'the strongest Trainer in the world' and then actually works like he means it."
"Yeah, but… do you really believe he can do that? Like, become the World's Strongest Trainer? That's not just big talk it's a legendary goal. Even Champions like Lance and Cynthia have decades of experience."
"Maybe… but dreams aren't supposed to be easy, right?" another camper said, shrugging with a smile. "It's because it's hard that it's a dream worth chasing. And if Ash actually does become the world's top Trainer one day, we'll be proud to say we were here with him at the very beginning."
"Totally! It'll be like telling people, 'Yeah, I trained at summer camp with that guy.'"
"Yup, yup!"
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