When she was ten, Chloe and that boy named Goh encountered some accidents at a summer camp. If Ash hadn't gone to the other camp—the one hosted by Professor Oak—perhaps those accidents wouldn't have happened.
The summer camp Ash attended also encountered some unexpected events.
At that time, the summer camp was held in Kanto, but the participants weren't just from the Kanto region; there were children from other regions too.
They were brought by Professors from various regions and then handed over to Professor Oak for him to look after.
Among that group, there was a little girl with flaxen hair, looking as delicate as a carved jade doll and wearing a sun hat. At first, Ash didn't notice her; his heart was filled with longing and joy for the summer camp.
Girls and such weren't even worth mentioning and wouldn't attract his attention, no matter how pretty they were.
But if that pretty girl got lost, then it was a different story.
The summer camp had free time. Chloe and Goh got into trouble during their free time, and it was the same for Ash's side.
During free time, they could play with and observe the Pokémon Professor Oak brought, because the Pokémon he brought were extremely gentle in nature, and it was impossible for any harm to occur.
So even ten-year-old children without Pokémon companions could still play with them.
It was also a way for them to get used to the feeling of interacting with Pokémon in advance.
However, during the assembly, Professor Oak discovered that a little girl was missing, and a Pokémon was missing too!
He certainly wouldn't think the little girl stole the Pokémon. Not to mention the girl looked shy, stealing a Pokémon was completely unnecessary; her family wasn't poor, and she would naturally receive a Kalos region Starter Pokemon after turning fifteen.
What needed was there to steal a Poliwag? So, in all probability, this little girl and the Pokémon accidentally wandered into the forest while playing and got lost.
Seeing this, Professor Oak quickly told the children not to move while he went into the forest to look. As for why he didn't let the children search together—kidding, if they searched together, wouldn't that just add to the number of missing persons?!
Although this forest wasn't as large as the Viridian Forest, it wasn't small either. Once inside, if they went too far, they'd probably have to call a rescue team.
However, after Professor Oak left, Ash couldn't sit still. As a child, Ash liked to show off, but he also knew what was important. What was happening now was clearly not the time for him to show off.
The best thing he should do was listen to Professor Oak and wait in place for him to return.
But besides liking to show off, he was also a warm-hearted person. He couldn't just wait here for Professor Oak to find the missing Pokémon and the little girl—he wanted to help too!
Even though he was only ten, his strength was not at all weaker than an adult's, and even stronger! This was one of Ash's sources of confidence.
So Ash quietly slipped away from the group into the forest to find the missing girl and the Poliwag.
Relying on his extraordinary intuition, Ash found the Poliwag under a tree in the forest, but there was still no sign of the little girl.
Until he was wandering around the forest and heard a faint sound of crying. When he stepped through the bushes and came to a clearing, he saw the flaxen-haired girl in the sun hat sitting on the ground in fear, with a few tears still hiding in her large eyes.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Ash quickly approached the girl with the Poliwag and asked with concern.
"I—I'm fine. You—You are—?" The little girl shrank her neck and asked somewhat timidly.
"I'm Ash, I'm from the summer camp too. You're the girl who went missing, right? Professor Oak has been looking for you. Let's go back!" Ash said, reaching out his hand to the girl. She hesitated for a moment, then reached out her fair but somewhat dirty hand and placed it in Ash's palm.
Ash pulled the girl up in one go, but she let out a cry of pain.
"What's wrong?"
"My knee got hit—"
Ash looked at the girl's knees. One knee had scrape marks, and the edge of the other foot also had some minor scrapes. It might have been from a fall, or perhaps from being scratched by grass blades or something similar.
"It's okay, they're just superficial wounds. We'll put some ointment on when we get back and they'll heal quickly. Poliwag, can you walk on your own?" Ash asked the Poliwag in his arms.
Poliwag nodded and jumped from Ash's arms to the ground, while Ash knelt down and said without looking back, "Come on, I'll carry you back."
"Ah?" Looking at Ash's decisive manner, the girl was momentarily stunned. When she realized what Ash meant, her face instantly turned bright red.
A ten-year-old girl already knew some knowledge and common sense about boys and girls, and it was the age when love first awakens. This action of Ash's immediately elevated his status in her heart infinitely.
Despite being very shy, the girl slowly walked behind Ash and lay on his back.
"Am I heavy?" the girl's voice was as soft as a whisper.
"No, in fact, you're as light as paper. This won't do; you need to eat more to grow! I've been able to eat a lot since I was little, which is why I'm so strong. If you have strength, you won't be afraid no matter what danger you face." Ash said as he supported the girl's fair legs and walked toward the summer camp.
The broad back, firm shoulders, strong wrists, and warm palms—everything made the girl feel very safe. The fear from being lost alone and having scrapes all over her body had vanished without a trace.
The girl's name was Serena. She actually didn't want to come to this summer camp, but her mother insisted she come to get some exercise. She was ten and still had no independence; it was time for her to see the outside world and interact with wild Pokémon.
So her mother forcibly signed her up for this summer camp, which even crossed two regions to the most distant Kanto region. If anything happened, she would be completely helpless.
As it turned out, something did happen, and there really was no response to her cries. When she fell and hurt herself earlier, she missed her mother terribly. And before Ash appeared, she didn't know it was a person; she thought it was some wild beast or a fierce Pokémon.
Because from her perspective, she could only see the rustling bushes. The moment Ash appeared, her restless heart seemed to be calmed by something.
Subsequently, Ash's various actions completely put Serena at ease. While leaning on Ash's back, although she was embarrassed to the point of her face turning red, she couldn't bring herself to say she wanted to get down.
Originally, Serena thought this day at the summer camp was the worst day of her life, but now she felt—fortunately, she came to the summer camp!
This was the story of Ash and Serena back then. Although it seemed like a trivial matter, it left an extremely deep impression in Serena's heart.
After being carried back by Ash, Serena stayed with him for the entire duration of the summer camp, becoming his little shadow. This was why Ash had an impression of Serena.
If he had simply found her and brought her back, after several years, even Ash wouldn't have recalled her so quickly. But Serena was someone who had played with him for an entire summer camp; how could Ash not remember her?
"Your name seems to be... Serena, right?"
"Yes!!" Seeing that Ash still remembered her name, Serena was beyond excited. Right now, she was like a young girl who had successfully met her idol; the "star" was right in front of her and even recognized her. Encountering such a good thing at the first place on her journey, could she be the legendary lucky girl?
Misty, watching the two of them with looks of surprise and joy, felt a mix of emotions in her heart. She hadn't expected the girl they met on the road who acted heroically to be an old acquaintance of Ash's. It seemed they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
Theoretically, this girl shouldn't be a threat, but her pretty face, well-proportioned figure, and good taste in clothes still gave Misty a sense of crisis.
"I didn't expect to meet you here. It seems like the last time we met was five years ago."
"Mm-hmm! After that summer camp, I wanted to contact you again, but I didn't have your contact information. Later, I saw you on the big screen on TV~" Serena nodded.
Misty, eavesdropping on the side, heard the words "five years ago" and "summer camp," and instantly understood where her bad premonition came from!
So she's a childhood friend! And now she's a childhood friend from the heavens!
According to the romance novels she had read before, a woman with this kind of status basically couldn't lose!
But the good news was, Ash's girlfriend now was her!
It was lucky she had bravely taken a step forward back then; otherwise, if she had waited for such a formidable enemy to appear, she might not even have been able to get a taste of the leftovers!
Now she was the official girlfriend and could stand by Ash's side with confidence. Even a childhood friend from the heavens would have to get in line!
"Woo-oh~" The Lapras, which had been treated but left neglected on the side, let out a cry. Ash turned around and patted Lapras's head, saying, "Your body doesn't hurt anymore, right? Be careful outside from now on. If you encounter a storm or something, just steer clear, don't ram into it. By the way, the injuries on your body shouldn't have been caused just by natural weather, right? Is there another reason?"
"Woo-oh~"
"As I thought..." Lapras's brief sentence explained that she had indeed been attacked by poachers. It was because of the attack that she got separated from her Lapras Clan and was blown onto the shore of Polania Island under the influence of the storm.
The poachers' artillery and the raging storm had left Lapras seriously injured, making it impossible for her to even return to the water to rest and recover on the shore.
Then she was attacked by Delinquents. It was called an attack, but those few Delinquents were just poking her with sticks and such; the damage caused could be said to be negligible.
Finally, Serena and Ash arrived, rescued her, and helped her recover.
"So what are you going to do next? Go to the sea to find your family?" There are Lapras Clans here in the Orange Islands. Pokémon of the Lapras species are rare and popular all over the world.
Not to mention their inherently cute appearance and gentle nature, the fact that Lorelei's ace is a Lapras alone is enough to make the Lapras Clan incredibly famous.
That's why poaching groups would target the Lapras Clan. If they could capture an entire Clan, the entire poaching group would probably be set for the rest of their lives.
However, the League is also strictly cracking down on poaching groups. Sea police are constantly patrolling the entire Orange Islands sea area. Ordinary poaching groups really can't get past Jenny and the others.
The poaching group encountered by the Lapras Clan must not be a small-scale existence. If Lapras went back to the sea and encountered them again, this Lapras, who hadn't fully grown yet, would be no match for them.
Although Lapras is already at the Advanced Level, from her size and skin, she is actually just a child in the Clan, just like Little Lugia.
Letting a child drift at sea to find her parents and Clan is somewhat cruel.
"Woo-oh~" Lapras also looked hesitant. She knew that although her injuries had recovered, if she encountered a poaching group or a storm again, she most likely wouldn't make it on her own.
But she didn't want to just wait here either.
"How about this? We happen to be looking for a Pokémon in the Orange Islands anyway. Why don't you come with us? If we meet your companions and Clan on the way, you can leave then. How does that sound?" Ash thought for a moment and suggested.
Helping one is the same as helping two. Helping Little Lugia find its parents and helping Lapras find hers aren't conflicting tasks. Since they are in the Orange Islands anyway, it's better than letting Lapras go off on her own.
"Woo-oh!!" Lapras nodded without a second thought, as if she had been waiting for Ash's invitation.
Serena, watching from the side, was full of bewilderment. Just... she agreed just like that?
Didn't the books say that although Lapras are gentle, they are very wary of humans? Why did this Lapras agree to Ash's invitation so easily? Does Ash have some kind of magic?
Actually, Ash really does have magic! Not to mention Ash's actions in helping treat Lapras, the Viridian Power he possesses is enough to make any stranger or highly wary Pokémon let down its guard, with an initial favorability toward Ash of at least a hundred.
This is both Ash's personal charm and the magic that comes with Viridian Power!