The Pokémon Summer Camp was held deep within a vast forest valley.
Although at first glance it looked like there were no security measures, that was only an illusion. In truth, the entire area — just like the fenced backyard of Professor Oak's lab — was securely enclosed. A tall wooden palisade surrounded the outermost perimeter, acting as a boundary.
The only reason it didn't feel secure was because of the sheer size of the camp.
This wasn't just some woodland field trip. The area was enormous — so massive that it could rival the most luxurious mountain resorts in the world. In fact, it wasn't far off from a gated villa community built across an entire mountainside.
When the bus had taken the campers from Pallet Town, it had driven through winding paths between two mountain peaks before turning into a hidden valley.
If one were to fly overhead on a Flying-type Pokémon, they'd see that the terrain below was made of ten natural, bowl-shaped basins surrounded entirely by mountains — like ten enormous craters cradled in the hills.
That narrow mountain pass the bus had entered through? It was nature's own gateway into this secret camp.
Inside, rivers and creeks flowed gently through lush forests, converging into a sparkling lake at the valley's center.
Since the Quartz League had designated this place as the official Summer Camp ground for the Kanto Region, they had been routinely sending patrol units to clear out any overly powerful wild Pokémon.
In fact, just one week before camp opened, the League dispatched a cleanup crew to sweep the area again. The result? The entire forest was now safe — at least for kids.
Even now, while many students were still battling back at the open training grounds, Professor Oak and his assistant Thorne were there recording scores and observing progress.
When they saw Ash walking out of the camp area with Froakie, both Oak and Thorne glanced his way for a moment but didn't stop him.
They didn't need to.
The camp's design was completely intentional — full of hidden cameras, security checkpoints, and roaming League scouts who patrolled at random. It was a safe sandbox for the kids to explore.
In fact, Professor Oak encouraged it.
After all, Trainers were also adventurers and travelers. If kids were going to grow up and become Pokémon Trainers, they needed to learn how to explore the wild safely. That was the entire point of making the campgrounds so massive and immersive.
As Ash stepped out of the fenced lodging zone and into the dense, green wilderness, a wave of fresh forest air filled his lungs.
It was thick with the scent of leaves, bark, and blooming wildflowers — earthy and invigorating.
Even though Ash had the knowledge of a seasoned veteran from another life — armed with the Aura, the Viridian Blessing, and the Ascension Trainer System — he was, at the end of the day, still a six-year-old child.
And despite his reincarnated memories, his original upbringing had been very sheltered.
His mom, Delia, had never even let him near the outskirts of town, let alone the wild.
So this moment — his first time truly entering the Pokémon world's natural environment — was something special.
His heart raced with pure excitement. His eyes darted everywhere — wide and curious.
He looked left, looked right, crouched in bushes, climbed over logs. And when he finally spotted his first wild Pokémon…
"Whoa!!"
The cry burst out of him.
There, rustling through the tall grass — Oddish. Over by a stump — Bellsprout. A Rattata darted through the underbrush. On a tree branch, a Pidgey pecked at seeds.
A Caterpie munched on leaves above his head.
Everything around him was real.
It was different from the games, the anime, and even the movies.
Sure, in his last life he had caught Arceus in-game — but this? This was reality.
Ash, the so-called "Arceus catcher," had never even seen a real Caterpie until now.
And the emotion hit him hard.
Tears almost welled in his eyes.
Pokémon really existed.
He was really here.
He had really crossed over into this magical world.
Yes, it had been over a week since his transmigration. Yes, he had already caught a Pichu, and today he'd received Froakie. Yes, he'd already battled other campers and tasted victory.
But this moment — surrounded by wild Pokémon in the forest — was the first time it all felt undeniably real.
For the first time, he fully accepted it.
This wasn't a dream.
This was his new life.
"Whew…" Ash exhaled deeply, letting his joy melt into the forest air. The wind whispered through the trees. Birds chirped high above, hidden in the canopy.
He smiled, wide and carefree.
"The future… it's gonna be amazing."
"Froa!" Froakie croaked, nodding with matching excitement.
"Come on, Froakie," Ash said, patting his partner on the head. "Time to get down to business."
He hadn't come out here just to admire the scenery.
No — Ash had a mission.
Although Froakie technically still belonged to the camp and hadn't officially become his Pokémon yet…
Pichu was his.
Even if, worst-case scenario, he failed to reach the top three in the camp assessment and didn't receive early Trainer rights from the League — even if he had to temporarily register Pichu under his mom's name — that didn't change one thing.
He had to train it. Raise it. Build a team.
And that required money.
Sure, he could probably rely on Delia for some support early on. But Ash didn't want to be dependent.
If he was going to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world, he needed to be self-sufficient.
So after much thought, he had finally come up with a plan.
A way to earn money.
And it all revolved around the Skill Copy Module of his Ascension Trainer System.
The plan?
Open an online shop — under his mom's name — on the League's official trading platform.
He wouldn't just be any shopkeeper. He'd be a specialist.
A move tutor.
Inspired by the "Move Deleter" character from the games — an old man who helped Pokémon forget unwanted moves — Ash would offer the opposite: a service that helped Pokémon learn new ones.
A custom move-tutoring service powered by his Skill Copy Module.
It was the perfect low-key business. No one would know his secret, and he'd build capital while gaining exposure.
Ash grinned. His journey wasn't just about battling.
It was also about building a future.
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