"Thank you, Ash," Serena whispered sincerely. "You've taught me so much about Pokémon battles to help me gather the courage to fight… and you even shared your secret with me."
She clutched the brim of her sunhat tightly. "I really don't know how to thank you enough…"
Though it had only been about ten minutes of training, that time alone had already etched an unforgettable impression of Ash deep into her heart.
"If you really don't know how to thank me…" Ash grinned teasingly. "Then how about you share one of your secrets with me?"
"Huh?"
Serena blinked, surprised, then nodded without even thinking about it.
"Okay… But it's a real secret. I've never told anyone before—not even Shauna. You have to promise not to tell anyone else!"
Her face turned unusually serious, and Ash—who had initially asked on a whim—now found himself growing genuinely curious.
"I promise," Ash said, placing a hand over his heart. "I won't tell anyone. You have my word."
"Okay then…" Serena took a deep breath.
"My little secret is… Last time my mom went out, I secretly tried riding her Rhyhorn while she was away. But I wasn't sitting properly, and I fell off."
She paused, her cheeks turning a shade redder.
"And… I knocked out one of my front teeth."
Ash blinked. That wasn't what he expected.
"When my mom and Shauna asked what happened, I told them it just came out because I was losing my baby teeth. They never found out it was actually because I fell off Rhyhorn!"
"Pfft—"
Before Ash could react, Serena was already giggling to herself, her hands over her mouth, as if retelling the story had brought the memory flooding back.
Ash stood there, speechless.
He had been expecting something serious—maybe an emotional story, or a deep fear. But this?
She'd fallen off a Rhyhorn and lost a tooth.
Still, when he thought about it again, it made sense.
What kind of explosive secret could a six-year-old possibly have? She wasn't a reincarnated traveler like him.
And imagining the scene she described—a tiny Serena tumbling off a giant Rhyhorn, missing a front tooth, smiling sheepishly—Ash's mind couldn't help but paint the image vividly.
"…Pfft—HAHAHAHA!"
He finally burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
Meanwhile—
"Professor Oak, I think Ash is over there at the edge of the training field, helping that girl Serena learn how to battle."
The summer camp's clearing was as lively as ever.
Campers who had just received their Pokémon were itching to get into battles and test their skills.
Originally, the field only had one battle arena, but due to the increasing demand, staff had marked out a second one. Now, both arenas were occupied with matches, and a sizable crowd was watching from the sidelines.
Up on the embedded electronic scoreboard, most campers had no scores when the day began. Only Ash and a few others who had already battled appeared on the leaderboard.
But now, as more campers entered matches, the Camper Scoreboard was constantly updating.
Ash, however, still held the number one position—undisputed at the top with 10 full points from five straight wins.
No one had managed to dethrone him.
Everyone else's attention was focused on the active battles. Very few noticed Ash at the far end of the field.
But not everyone missed it.
Professor Oak's assistant, Thorne, had been watching Ash from a distance.
Ever since the professor had commented that Ash's talent could rival—or even surpass—Lance, Thorne had made it a habit to quietly observe him.
Now, seeing Ash guiding Serena patiently, Thorne immediately reported his findings to Professor Oak.
"Serena, huh?"
Professor Oak chuckled. "Gary mentioned her before. Shy girl, right? Looks like she's too nervous to battle, and Ash is helping her through it."
"Mmm. Very good."
Professor Oak gazed warmly at the pair from afar. "Ash has not only talent, but a kind and helpful heart. It seems Pallet Town has truly raised an extraordinary child."
Ash had no idea that his actions were being observed—nor that Professor Oak had such high praise for him.
After their training and heartfelt exchange of secrets, Serena found herself drawn even closer to Ash.
Though she was too young to understand feelings beyond friendship, Ash could sense through his Aura Perception that her emotions had shifted—radiating warmth, trust, and attachment.
A seed has been planted, Ash thought with satisfaction. All it needs now is time… and one day, it'll grow into something magnificent.
As they returned to the main area, Serena tugged gently on his sleeve, her voice small and shy again.
"Ash… Should I go find someone to battle now?"
"Not yet," Ash replied with a smile. "First, let's take Clefairy to the Pokémon Center so Nurse Joy can heal her up. Then we'll look for a challenger."
Serena nodded immediately, showing no sign of hesitation.
Back among the crowd, her shyness returned—but she still followed Ash's lead with quiet trust.
Ash was used to her personality by now and didn't mind it at all. He guided her gently to the Pokémon Center, where Clefairy was quickly restored to full strength.
When they returned to their usual hangout spot, the rest of the group was already waiting.
Gary, Green, Tierno, and Shauna had all completed their matches.
"Gary, Green, Tierno—how'd your battles go?" Ash asked as he approached.
"All done," Green said, flashing a smile. "Except for Trevor—he lost one match. Oh, and Gary lost his first one to you." She stuck out her tongue teasingly. "But the rest of us? All five wins."
"So right now," she added cheerfully, "me, Shauna, and Tierno—we're all tied with you at ten points. We're officially sharing the top spot!"
....
....
Note:Get 50% off on all my Patreon tiers using the code 129E1.Join here: pa treon.com/pokepals
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals