"Pidgey is unable to battle! The victory goes to Serena's Clefairy!"
The referee's hand sliced through the air as he made the call, and cheers erupted all around the field.
"Serena!! Serena!!!"
A name once associated with shyness and hesitation was now being chanted like that of a champion. Once too timid to even speak loudly, Serena had not only stepped into a real Pokémon battle but had claimed a miraculous win under pressure.
On the sidelines, Green, Shauna, and the others ran to greet her with gleaming eyes, treating her like a returning hero. Even some campers who weren't in their group began clapping and cheering — after all, a five-win streak was no small feat.
While a four-win record was impressive, five wins put Serena on an entirely different level.
Previously, her 8-point score had placed her in third on the [Summer Camp Student Performance Leaderboard]. But with this victory — and the 2-point boost that came with it — Serena leapfrogged into the top tier, tying with Ash for the #1 rank.
And this top spot wasn't shared by many — only six campers in total had reached it. Out of a hundred kids, only six had made it to the summit so far.
That alone made it a monumental achievement.
Not far away, Goh stood stiffly behind the crowd, his clenched fists trembling at his sides. His eyes burned with envy and resentment.
"Serena, congratulations! You're officially tied for first place!" Green said with a bright grin, throwing her arms around her friend.
"It's all thanks to Ash…" Serena blushed, stealing a quick glance at the boy who had been guiding her through every battle with unwavering support. Her eyes shimmered with gratitude.
With Serena's challenge complete, she became the last in their group to finish all five battles. And frankly, no one in the group was interested in watching the rest of the matches — which mostly consisted of flustered six-year-olds sending out Level 5 Pokémon that only knew two or three moves.
A Tackle here, a Growl there — watching these battles was like watching toddlers slap each other with pillows.
To Ash and his companions, such matches held no interest. Their group — Ash, Green, Serena, Shauna, and Tierno — had already proven themselves to be in a league of their own.
They made up five out of the six top-ranking students on the leaderboard.
The only other person tied for first was some lucky outlier.
As for Gary and Trevor, their single losses had dropped them to third place with 8 points.
Chloe, unfortunately, had only won two of her five battles — in part due to being misguided by Goh, who had offered her "advice" before she battled.
Advice from someone who himself had lost all five of his matches…
That's right. With a completely useless Magikarp and zero wins, Goh had cemented his place as the undisputed dead-last on the scoreboard.
But Ash wasn't concerned with Goh or Chloe.
Chloe was kind-hearted but too soft, too innocent — not someone Ash had much interest in. Besides, he had Serena now.
And Goh… Ash had disliked him from the very beginning. His aura reeked of jealousy and dark intent. More than once, Ash had sensed malicious thoughts radiating from him using his Aura Perception.
Goh was already on his mental blacklist.
If a chance ever came to knock him down a peg or two… Ash wouldn't hesitate.
…..
Back on Day One of camp, Professor Oak had distributed Poké Balls and invited the campers to greet their Pokémon properly. It was both a ceremony and a hidden assessment — a way to quietly observe who had the makings of a true Trainer.
The summer camp was, after all, a scouting program — a way for Oak, one of the Kanto League's most trusted figures, to find future talent.
That initial task had been the first real test. And in it, Ash and his group had shined like stars. Five consecutive victories from Ash on Day One had left a strong impression on the professor.
Now that nearly every camper had completed at least one full round of battles, Oak had begun compiling something behind the scenes: a preliminary ranking of each student's Trainer Talent.
It didn't match the performance leaderboard exactly — but in both rankings, Ash sat proudly at the top.
This Talent Ranking wasn't just for show. After camp ended, Oak would submit the list to the Indigo Plateau — the headquarters of the Kanto Pokémon League. It would influence future recruitment, sponsorships, and even elite training opportunities.
Top-ranked campers would be given special attention. And those who impressed Oak the most? They might receive privileges and resources other Trainers could only dream of.
Of course, Ash had no idea any of this was happening.
If he did, he might've laughed.
Because between his reincarnated knowledge, his genetically superior body, his Aura and Viridian Powers, and the Ascension Trainer System… Ash's potential wasn't just above average.
It had already left Oak's evaluation system in the dust.
…...
With the opening challenge of camp complete, Ash and his friends had no interest in watching weaker matches. They returned to their cabin, the cozy wooden lodge where they'd be staying for the rest of camp.
The bunks were already prepared, and all the kids had to do was organize their personal belongings.
Gary, Tierno, and Trevor chatted loudly about the day's battles — excitedly guessing which campers were the strongest, and what kind of events might happen tomorrow.
Ash didn't join in.
Instead, he quietly unpacked: toothbrush, towel, fresh clothes, a few personal items.
Once everything was neatly in place, he patted Froakie's head and held out his arm.
The Water-type bounced up onto his shoulder.
"I'm heading out for a bit," Ash said casually to his roommates.
Gary blinked. "Where to?"
"Just taking Froakie for a walk around camp."
With a wave, Ash stepped out of the cabin — eyes calm, mind already planning his next move.
Tomorrow was a new day. And he intended to keep climbing.
...
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