On the second morning of the summer camp, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of Viridian Forest, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Ash stretched, emerging from his tent, and Ralts and Riolu immediately gathered around him.
"Ralts (Good morning)!" Ralts tugged at Ash's pant leg with its tiny hand.
"Riolu! (Did you sleep well?)" Riolu bounced excitedly, its tail wagging like a propeller.
"Good morning, you two," Ash knelt down, rubbing both Pokémon's heads.
"Today, we're going to be divided into groups to observe wild Pokémon, so you two need to do your best."
"Ralts (Understood)!" Ralts happily spun in a circle, its skirt-like green fur gently swaying.
"Riolu Riolu! (Leave it to us!)" Riolu thumped its chest, its blue fur shimmering in the morning light.
"Ash, you're talking to Pokémon again," Serena walked out of the tent next door, combing her light golden hair.
"Even though I've seen it several times, it still feels so magical."
"You'll get used to it," Xiao You walked over, yawning, followed by her partner, Scorbunny.
"He's been like this since he was little; we're all used to it."
Lucia, who was packing observation equipment nearby, turned her head upon hearing the conversation: "Wallace said this is a very rare talent, and Ash should cherish it."
"I just... can understand what they're saying," Ash scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"It's as natural as you all understanding me."
Professor Oak's voice came from the center of the camp: "All campers, please come to the assembly point! We are about to announce today's activities!"
The four youngsters immediately ran to the assembly point.
Professor Oak stood on a flat rock, with several assistants beside him.
He pushed up his glasses and began to explain today's activities.
"Today, you will again be divided into groups to observe the behavior of wild Pokémon in the forest.
Each group will be assigned a different observation area; please record the types, numbers, and behavioral characteristics of the Pokémon you see."
Professor Oak looked around, "Remember, do not disturb the Pokémon's normal activities, and maintain a safe distance."
The group assignments were quickly announced; Ash, Serena, Xiao You, and Lucia were placed in the same group, and their observation area was an open grassland on the east side of the forest.
"Great! We're in a group again!" Serena clapped her hands happily.
After Ash saved her from the Beedrill swarm yesterday, she had developed a strong interest in this boy who could communicate directly with Pokémon.
"Ralts (Let's go)!" Ralts had already floated onto Ash's shoulder, eager to start.
"Riolu! (Let's move!)" Riolu ran ahead, leading the way, occasionally looking back to make sure everyone was following.
The four youngsters followed the marked path towards the observation area.
The morning forest was full of life; Pidgey flew through the treetops, Caterpie slowly crawled on leaves, and occasionally a Rattata could be seen peeking out from the bushes.
"Look over there!" Xiao You suddenly whispered, pointing to the base of a large tree.
"It's a family of Sentret!"
Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw three Sentret foraging at the tree roots.
The two smaller ones were likely juveniles, learning to search for food with their front paws like their parents.
"Ralts (So cute)..." Ralts whispered.
"They're teaching their children how to find berries and insects," Ash translated.
"The slightly larger Sentret just found an acorn and is demonstrating how to peel its shell."
Serena quickly recorded in her notebook: "Sentret family, parents teaching juveniles foraging behavior, showing a clear pattern of parental education..."
"Ash's ability is really convenient," Lucia praised.
"This way, we can accurately record the content of Pokémon communication."
"Riolu! (Something's moving over there!)" Riolu suddenly pricked up its ears, looking warily at the bushes at the edge of the grassland.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
A moment later, an orange-red figure cautiously emerged from the bushes—it was a Chimchar!
"Wow! It's a Chimchar from the Sinnoh region!" Xiao You exclaimed, then realized her voice was too loud and quickly covered her mouth.
But it was too late; the Chimchar was startled and turned to flee.
"Wait!" Ash took a step forward and said in a gentle tone, "We won't hurt you."
The Chimchar stopped, looking back at the group of humans suspiciously.
"Riolu Riolu. (We are friends.)" Riolu walked forward, extending a friendly hand.
Ralts also floated over: "Ralts (We just want to see you)..."
The Chimchar's wary expression gradually relaxed, and it curiously observed these beings who could communicate with it.
"It says it suddenly appeared in this forest after a strange flash," Ash translated to everyone.
"It can't find its way back to its tribe and has been surviving on berries these past few days."
"Sounds like a Pokémon from another region that was transported here by a spatial distortion," Lucia mused.
"Similar phenomena have been reported in various places recently."
"Should we tell Professor Oak?" Serena asked.
Ash shook his head: "Not yet. Chimchar, would you like to come with us? We can help you find a safe place."
Chimchar hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, cautiously approaching this group of strange but friendly beings.
"That's great!" Xiao You cheered.
"Not only did we complete our observation task, but we also helped a lost Pokémon!"
And so, Chimchar temporarily joined their team.
Over the next few hours, they recorded the behavior of many more Pokémon: Butterfree teaching pollination techniques among the flowers; a group of Mankey playing in the trees; and even a rare Heracross feeding on tree sap.
At noon, they rested by a small stream, sharing the lunch they had brought.
Chimchar had completely relaxed and was happily munching on the Energy Cube Ash had given it.
"Today was really fruitful," Serena said with satisfaction, flipping through her filled notebook.
"Yes, thanks to Ash's ability, we obtained a lot of observation data that other groups couldn't possibly get," Lucia smiled.
"Riolu! (We are the best team!)" Riolu jumped up excitedly, almost knocking over Xiao You's water cup.
"Hey! Be careful!" Xiao You pretended to glare at Riolu, but couldn't help but smile.
"Ralts (Sorry)..." Ralts apologized awkwardly for its companion.
Just as they were enjoying this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.
This was followed by a heart-wrenching scream, shattering the forest's tranquility.
"What's going on?" Ash suddenly stood up, and the others followed suit.
"The sound is coming from the direction of the camp!" Lucia's expression turned serious.
"We need to go back and see!" Serena quickly packed her backpack.
They abandoned further observation, taking Chimchar with them, and quickly returned along the path they came.
As they approached the camp, the noise grew louder, and they could vaguely hear crying and panicked voices.
When they breathlessly ran back to the camp, the sight before them stunned them.
Most of the campers were gathered together, some pale-faced, some crying.
Professor Oak and several assistants were talking with grave expressions, and a police officer stood nearby.
"What happened?" Xiao You grabbed a familiar camper and asked.
The girl turned, tears in her eyes: "It's... it's Goh... he... he fell into a dimensional rift... they said he... died..."
"What?" Ash felt a wave of dizziness.
Although he had no impression of this boy named Goh, hearing the news of someone's death still shocked him.
"How could this happen?" Serena covered her mouth, her face ashen.
They pushed through the crowd, wanting to understand more of the situation.
In the center of the crowd, a middle-aged couple was weeping, presumably Goh's parents.
Next to them, a short-haired brown-haired girl knelt on the ground, silently crying, as if her soul had left her body.
"That's Chloe, Goh's childhood friend," Lucia whispered.
"They grew up together..."
For some reason, when Ash heard the name "Goh," an inexplicable feeling of dislike welled up inside him.
He couldn't explain this feeling, only attributing it to the chaotic emotions of the moment.
Professor Oak saw them return and walked over to explain the situation: "Children, an unfortunate accident has occurred.
Goh, without authorization, entered an incomplete spatial distortion observation area, triggering a dimensional rift... The rescue team has confirmed... there is no possibility of survival..."
"Dimensional rift?" Ash remembered the "strange flash" Chimchar had mentioned.
"Yes," Professor Oak nodded heavily.
"The spatial distortion phenomena appearing in various places recently are still unstable, and we specifically designated restricted areas... But Goh apparently wanted to capture a Pokémon from another region that appeared from the rift..."
Ash suddenly understood why Chimchar appeared here.
He looked at Ralts on his shoulder; the little one was clutching his collar tightly, clearly affected by the sad atmosphere.
"Riolu... (So scary)..." Riolu leaned against Ash's leg, its ears drooping.
The police began to organize everyone to take statements, and the summer camp was forced to end early.
Ash and his companions were questioned separately about what they knew.
When asked if he knew Goh, Ash truthfully replied that they had no interaction.
"I just... felt uncomfortable hearing his name," Ash told the police officer taking the statement.
"But I don't know why."
The officer gave him a strange look but didn't ask further.
As night fell, most of the campers had already been picked up by their parents, leaving only the staff and a few campers who needed to wait for transportation the next day.
Ash, Xiao You, Lucia, and Serena were among the latter.
They sat by the extinguished campfire, silent.
Chimchar huddled at Ash's feet, seemingly also sensing the heavy atmosphere.
"I heard..." Serena broke the silence, her voice very soft, "Goh was trying to catch a Shinny Pokémon from another region that appeared from the rift... Chloe tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen..."
"Ralts... (Too risky)..." Ralts whispered.
"The spatial distortion phenomenon is still immature; forcing one's way in is too dangerous," Lucia sighed.
"Wallace said that even Champion-level Trainers wouldn't easily approach those rifts."
"Goh was always like that," a strange voice suddenly interjected.
They turned to see Chloe; her eyes were red and swollen, but she had stopped crying.
"He always... was too eager to get rare Pokémon... never listened to advice..."
Ash didn't know how to respond.
He knew nothing about Goh, but seeing Chloe's pain, he still felt a pang of sadness.
"I'm so sorry..." Serena said softly, handing Chloe a cup of hot tea.
Chloe took the teacup, her hands trembling slightly: "Thank you... I just... needed someone to talk to... Not many people really understood Goh... except me..."
She recounted Goh's story in a fragmented manner—a talented but overly ambitious Trainer who always pursued rare Pokémon, neglecting the bonds with his existing partners.
As Ash listened, that inexplicable feeling of dislike resurfaced, but he tried not to show it.
"Yesterday, he was still excitedly talking about catching a pseudo-legendary Pokémon from another region..." Chloe's voice choked up.
"I told him to wait until the spatial distortion stabilized... but he just wouldn't listen..."
It was late, and Chloe was eventually taken to rest by a staff member.
The four youngsters remained, their hearts heavy.
"Tomorrow we'll be going our separate ways," Xiao You suddenly said.
"The summer camp ended early; Lucia is going back to Hoenn, Serena to Kalos..."
"Yes," Lucia nodded.
"Wallace has already arranged the morning flight."
"My mom will also come to pick me up," Serena said, then looked at Ash, "What about you?"
"I... I guess I'll continue my adventure," Ash replied, "with Ralts and Riolu."
"Riolu! (And me!)" Riolu immediately declared.
"Ralts (We'll always be together)!" Ralts also said firmly.
The next morning, they packed their luggage, ready to go their separate ways.
In the car to the airport, the atmosphere was a bit lighter than yesterday.
Everyone talked about their future plans, trying to dispel the shadow of the tragedy.
In the airport lobby, Wallace was already waiting.
The Hoenn Champion, wearing his signature flamboyant attire, smiled and greeted the approaching youngsters.
"Children, I heard you had a difficult night," Wallace said gently.
"But life must go on. Lucia, it's time to board."
Lucia nodded, then turned to face her friends: "Well then... goodbye.
I hope that the next time we meet, we will all be stronger."
"We will!" Ash extended his hand, and the others also stacked their hands together, "Take care!"
After seeing Lucia off, Serena's flight was also about to depart.
Before the security checkpoint, she hesitated, then suddenly turned and hugged Ash.
"Thank you... for saving me, and for... taking care of me during this time," Serena's face was slightly flushed.
"I'll call you!"
Ash was a bit caught off guard but gently hugged her back: "Have a safe trip, Serena."
"Ralts (Goodbye)!" Ralts waved its small hand.
"Riolu! (Keep in touch!)" Riolu said, jumping.
Watching Serena's back disappear down the security aisle, Ash took a deep breath.
So much had happened in just two days—new friends, a tragic accident, and goodbyes.
"Alright, we should go too," Xiao You patted his shoulder.
"Mom is waiting for me in the parking lot. What are your plans next?"
Ash looked at Ralts on his shoulder and Riolu at his feet, a determined smile on his face: "I will become stronger for my journey two years from now.
And then... maybe one day, we can all gather again."
Stepping out of the airport, the sun was so bright it almost made them forget yesterday's gloom.
Ash and Xiao You looked up at the blue sky, where a plane was cutting through the clouds, carrying his friends towards their respective futures.
"Alright, guys," Ash said to his Pokémon and Xiao You beside him, "Our adventure has just begun!"
"Ralts (Let's go)!"
"Riolu! (Charge forward!)"
Xiao You: "Mmm, let's go."
And so, with new companions and memories, Ash and Xiao You returned to Pallet Town in Xiao Ying's car.
They didn't know what the future held, but he knew that as long as they were with their Pokémon, there were no difficulties they couldn't overcome.
As for the boy named Goh, and the inexplicable dislike in his heart... perhaps one day, he would find the answer.