…
"Hey! Ash, where did you disappear to?! You said you were just going for a walk near the camp, but you were gone for hours! We were so worried!"
The moment Ash and Froakie stepped out of the forest back into the clearing, Gary, Green, and the others rushed over, visibly anxious.
Ash had done his homework. He knew the valley and the surrounding forest were officially part of the campgrounds. It was a secure, monitored area with little to no danger. But his friends weren't aware of that. To them, anything beyond the wooden fences enclosing the residential zone was wild and potentially dangerous.
Before leaving, Ash had casually informed his cabinmates — Gary, Tierno, and Trevor — that he was going for a stroll near the camp. But instead of lingering around, he dove straight into the forest… and vanished for hours. By the time he returned, the sky was already starting to darken.
Green and the others had been frantically searching for him, scouring the area for over half an hour. They were just about to inform Professor Oak when Ash finally emerged.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Ash said earnestly. "I just took Froakie for a walk in the forest. You all know… before I turned six, I never had the chance to roam freely in the wild like this."
"Besides, the entire valley — not just the fenced area — is part of the Pokémon Summer Camp. The whole place is patrolled, and there aren't any serious dangers."
"But still… I should've told you more clearly. I really am sorry for making you all worry."
Seeing how concerned they were, Ash felt a surge of warmth and gratitude.
"It's okay, Ash," Green pouted slightly. "Just don't go running off by yourself again, alright?"
"Don't worry," Ash nodded, though he didn't promise to stop venturing alone. In fact, he intended to keep sneaking out — how else could he train his Viridian Power and keep copying moves with the system?
"Alright, we need to head to the assembly hall now," Gary reminded them. "Professor Oak just called all campers to gather."
The forest clearing had emptied out; all the other campers had already headed off. Ash and the group quickly rushed toward the large hall.
It's worth noting: the only ones who went searching for Ash were his direct cabinmates — Gary, Tierno, Trevor — and the four girls from Green's dorm, including Chloe.
As for Goh? He initially pretended to be concerned, asked a question or two, then quietly slipped away to use the restroom. The moment he heard about the hall assembly, he went straight there without saying a word to anyone.
He neither helped search for Ash nor informed the others about the announcement. In fact, the rest of the group only found out about the hall meeting from other campers.
Ash had no idea about Goh's behavior, and Green and the others didn't give it much thought.
By the time they reached the assembly hall, the place was already packed. Campers were seated according to their assigned cabins, and Professor Oak was already on the slightly elevated platform at the front.
Fortunately, the professor didn't reprimand them for being late. After all, he and his assistant, Thorne, had seen Ash head toward the forest earlier. What he hadn't expected was that Ash would stay out there for so long.
None of the seated campers said anything either. Everyone was still new to the summer camp, and few had gotten to know one another.
That said, Ash's dominance during the afternoon's "greeting battles" had left a deep impression. With five straight wins, he was undoubtedly the top performer so far. His companions — Gary, Green, and Serena — were also among the strongest, so many students looked at them with a quiet sense of awe.
Still, someone did take notice of their late arrival.
In the front row, sitting with his own cabinmates, Goh pursed his lips in irritation. His group — assigned to the Squirtle-flag cabin, which often received special attention and extra evaluation points — included Nobita (a local Pallet Town camper), as well as Puff and Henri, two out-of-town campers from the Kalos region.
Ash and his friends gave a brief apology to the professor and their fellow campers before sitting down.
Professor Oak clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and began the session.
"Alright, campers! Welcome to the official opening of the Pokémon Summer Camp here at Forest Base!"
"By now, all of you have received your temporary partner Pokémon. And after this afternoon's friendly training battles, I believe many of you have gotten a basic sense of each other's strength."
"However, I know that most of you still don't know everyone here. So, before dinner, I've decided to hold a small meet-and-greet."
"Each of you will come up to the stage, introduce yourselves briefly, and tell us your dream. Let's get to know one another better!"
With that, he turned to the first camper in the front row and gave them a small nod.
The boy immediately sprang up — energetic and confident.
"My name is Shay, from Celadon City in Kanto! I love catching bugs in the park, my favorite food is udon, and my dream is to become a truly great Pokémon Trainer!"
"I'm Silas, from Viridian City. I enjoy reading and training, and I aim to become the Champion of the Kanto League!"
"I'm Jeanette Fisher, from Crimson City. I like wearing traditional kimonos, and my goal is to be the first-ever female Champion of the Kanto League! My current goal in this camp… is to defeat Ash!"
…
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T/N:
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