"Rattata is unable to battle. The winner is Serena's Clefairy!"
The referee raised his hand as Rattata lay flat on the battlefield, knocked out cold.
"Waaah! She won! Serena actually won the match!"
"Ash, you're amazing! How did her personality change so fast after just ten minutes with you? And she was so calm and composed during the battle!"
"Right? What kind of magic did you work on her? I swear, if I had to face Serena now, I'm not sure I'd win."
"I'm from the same hometown as Serena—me, Tierno, and Trevor all grew up with her. And we've never seen her like that before. She was always quiet, soft-spoken… not the confident girl who just commanded Clefairy like a pro."
Many of the summer camp participants didn't know Serena well, so her victory didn't strike them as particularly surprising—just impressive.
But to those who grew up alongside her—like Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor—this was something else entirely. They knew how deeply shy and introverted she had always been. Her bashfulness wasn't just a character quirk—it was a core part of her.
At first, they simply wanted Ash to offer Serena some pointers. No one expected that a short session with him would trigger such a complete transformation—like she'd shed her old skin and emerged as someone new.
"Alright, you guys are overreacting," Ash said with a chuckle, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Serena's not as timid as you all make her out to be."
He grinned at the group and went on. "Her mom's a renowned Rhyhorn Racer from Kalos. As her daughter, Serena might seem shy on the outside, but deep down she's far tougher than anyone gives her credit for."
"She didn't want to drag her friends down. That's why she came to me for help. I told her that if a Trainer is nervous, their Pokémon will feel it too."
"She didn't want to let you all down, and she didn't want to let Clefairy down either. So she found the courage to stand up and fight."
Ash's tone was gentle but full of admiration. "Serena's a kind girl. But she's also braver than most people realize. That's the real reason you saw such a powerful performance out there."
He smiled. "Of course, I did teach her a few tricks, and we made a strategy around Clefairy's moveset… so yeah, I'll take a little credit."
Gary grinned and gave Ash a thumbs-up. "Well, however it happened—you nailed it, Ash."
Across the field, the girl named Mai picked up her fainted Rattata, recalling it with a slightly disappointed sigh.
"You did great. Thank you, Rattata."
She looked up at Serena—the girl in the straw sunhat. Though Mai had lost, she wasn't bitter. In fact, her smile was warm and sincere.
"You were amazing, Serena. Let's battle again sometime! Or even just hang out and talk—I'd love that too."
Serena's face lit up with joy at Mai's genuine words. She nodded quickly.
"I'd love to be friends."
And just like that, she'd made her first friend in summer camp—entirely by her own merit.
…..
As Serena stepped off the field, she was swarmed by two familiar figures—Green and Shauna—who chirped around her like excited Fletchling.
"Serena! You were amazing out there!"
"The way you commanded Clefairy was soooo cool!"
Their excited praise made Serena's face turn red with embarrassment. The shyness was still there, peeking through now that the battle was over.
She glanced quickly toward Ash.
He was looking right at her too.
And that made her blush deepen.
"It's all thanks to Ash," Serena murmured. "If he hadn't encouraged me or taught me how to battle, I wouldn't have dared to go up there…"
Her voice was soft, but full of gratitude—and something more. Something tender that she didn't yet understand.
Ash, ever modest, waved her words away.
"I just helped a little. That victory was all yours, Serena."
…..
"Alright, you two," Ash turned to Green and Shauna, "don't crowd her too much. Take her and Clefairy to the Pokémon Center—let Nurse Joy check up on them."
"I'll go with Gary, Tierno, and Trevor to help scout Serena's next opponent."
"Got it! We'll leave it to you guys, then."
…..
There were 100 participants in this summer camp. Since League rules forbade owning a Pokémon before age 10, most campers were total beginners.
Even if they'd studied theory beforehand, many froze up in battle. They either forgot everything or relied on basic commands like "Attack! Attack!"
Serena had been no different… until Ash gave her a crash course—hands-on training, both theoretical and practical.
They built a battle plan around Clefairy's four moves: Pound, Sing, Splash, and Copycat. Ash anticipated the typical beginner strategies and helped Serena prepare accordingly.
Plus, with Green and Gary's help, they found opponents who weren't too strong. This ensured that Serena's first battles would help her build confidence without being crushed.
It worked.
She racked up four straight wins.
Her score rose to 8 points, and she shot up the [Trainee Scoreboard]—now ranked third overall.
Naturally, this sudden surge attracted attention. Serena, once unnoticed, was now on everyone's radar.
To prevent her from climbing higher, one of the top-ranked Trainers—someone in first or second place—stepped forward to challenge her directly before she could pick a weaker opponent.
It was a sniper move—from the top of the scoreboard.
Serena had the right to decline, but she didn't.
Four victories in a row had given her something she'd never had before.
Confidence.
And with the thought that Ash might be watching, guiding her from the sidelines…
Serena smiled and accepted the challenge head-on.
...
...
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals