After discovering her passion and realizing her dream, Serena seemed like a whole new person.
The confusion and hesitation that once clouded her heart had completely vanished. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm for life and hope for the future. Her whole demeanor radiated confidence — even more than when she'd taken first place in the camp's challenge just yesterday.
"Mm-hmm!!"
Her face flushed with excitement, the girl nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking rice.
As she looked up at Ash — the boy who stood like a small sun, radiating warmth and light to everyone around him — her heart was filled with gratitude.
Before coming to Kanto to attend Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp, Serena had been shy, introverted, and timid. She didn't even have the courage to speak loudly.
Back then, she felt like the most useless person in the world.
But ever since meeting Ash… everything changed.
Not only had he never looked down on her — this "ugly duckling," this awkward "Cinderella" — he'd always treated her with kindness and care.
Just yesterday, before the opening challenge, Ash had personally taken the time to teach her how to battle. Step by step, hand in hand, he helped her build confidence in herself.
And now, with his gentle guidance again today, he helped her realize her true passion and long-buried dream.
No longer lost.
Right now, Serena's heart was overwhelmed — not just with gratitude toward Ash, but also with admiration, and… a shy, fluttering feeling she couldn't quite name.
Just thirty minutes of training with him yesterday had helped her win first place.
And today, just a few words were enough to clear the confusion in her heart and help her find her dream.
They were the same age — only six — so why did Ash seem so much more brilliant?
She remembered the moment at the camp's welcome ceremony yesterday, when Ash had stood calmly and declared his dream:
"To stand at the summit of all Trainers — to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world."
At the time, she'd simply thought he was amazing.
But now… just thinking about those words made her blood surge with excitement.
"If Ash's dream is to become the world's strongest Pokémon Trainer…"
"…then my dream will be to stand at the top of all Performers — to become the greatest Pokémon Performer in the world!"
"If I work hard… if I become just as amazing as Ash… then maybe, just maybe, I can always stay by his side—"
Earlier, Ash had said:
"Lost people act on instinct — they chase after what brings them joy without realizing it."
"So then… if I'm chasing after someone who makes my heart truly happy…"
"…what does that mean?"
"…Why is my heart beating so fast…?"
"…Why is my face so warm…?"
By noon, the camp's fishing contest had already concluded, and the afternoon was free time for all participants.
Most of the kids spent their time either playing with their Pokémon, hanging out with new friends, or exploring the woods near the campgrounds in small groups. A few just lounged around in the cafeteria, watching TV.
Gary, Green, and the others had gone off to train with their Pokémon in quiet corners of the forest. After witnessing Ash and Froakie battle and capture a Gyarados this morning, they all understood one thing very clearly:
Even if the remaining camp events weren't full-blown battle challenges, having a strong Pokémon was still a huge advantage when it came to scoring high marks.
Ash, on the other hand, wasn't training this afternoon.
Froakie was still a bit worn out after that intense battle with Gyarados. So rather than push him too hard, Ash decided to let him rest for now.
Fortunately, after that victory, Froakie had absorbed plenty of battle experience and leveled up to LV.14, putting him well ahead of the other campers.
Ash no longer felt the urgent pressure to train non-stop.
So that afternoon, he took Froakie and Serena for a quiet walk in the forest — a time to let her truly internalize the dream she'd just found.
Ash didn't rush to give her more battle lessons. Not because he was keeping knowledge to himself, or for some ulterior reason like hoping she'd invite him again later.
No — he simply believed that sometimes, what a person needed most wasn't action, but reflection. Letting a new dream sink in was more important than immediately chasing it.
Meanwhile, Ash was also using his Aura to scan the area, searching for wild Pokémon to copy skills from.
At the same time, he practiced his Viridian Blessing — sharing energy and infusing wild Pokémon with his healing grace in a "give-and-receive" style of cultivation:
"Handing someone a rose leaves the scent on your own fingers."
His online store had already been registered. His mom had hired a design firm to build the storefront. Even the rarest piece of tech — a portable Pokémon transfer terminal — was being handled thanks to Professor Oak's connections.
The only thing Ash needed now… was moves.
He had to gather as many skills as possible from wild Pokémon to turn into Technical Machines (TMs) for the shop's opening.
But there was a problem: the wild Pokémon around the camp had all been pre-selected by the League. Their strength was capped at LV.10 — meaning Ash could only copy very basic, low-tier moves from them.
Even if he gathered a large quantity, the combined value of these beginner moves wouldn't match a single mid-tier or high-tier TM.
Back before the camp began, Ash had copied plenty of powerful and rare moves from the Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab.
Still, when launching an online store, you needed products of all tiers — entry-level, mid-range, and premium.
If he focused only on the top-end stuff, hoping to "open once and profit for three years," his store would quickly go out of business. Building reputation and trust took time.
At the start, no one would send their Pokémon to an unknown trainer to learn skills. Business had to grow gradually.
Even with all his abilities — Aura, Viridian Power, the Ascension Trainer System — if Ash didn't slack off, then becoming the strongest Trainer in the world was just a matter of time.
But that didn't mean it would be easy.
Time and effort were still necessary.
Luckily, Ash already had a plan in place — a concept he called:
"Tackle + Magikarp = Market Hook."
He wasn't worried about the store failing anymore.
By evening, Ash and Serena emerged from the forest. They met up with Gary and the others near the camp entrance, then went to the cafeteria together for dinner.
By the time they came out, the sun had fully set, and night had fallen.
Just as the campers were preparing to return to their cabins — some chatting in small groups about tomorrow's possible activities — a familiar figure appeared.
Professor Oak had returned, along with his assistant Thorne and researcher Sophie, to announce a surprise:
There would be a brand-new activity — held tonight.
…
…
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