"Ahhh!! There's still an activity tonight? And it's happening at night?!"
"Wait, what kind of activity? Don't tell me… they're making us go out and catch Ghost-type Pokémon tonight!"
"G-Ghost-type Pokémon?! I-I'm scared of them the most! I heard from my neighbor's big brother that Ghost Pokémon eat children!"
"Ahh—nooo!!"
As soon as Professor Oak announced there would be another event tonight, most campers reacted with reluctance and panic — especially those who weren't aiming for top-three rankings or the 'Excellent Camper' title.
They had already spent the entire day running around, and now, with bedtime just a few hours away, no one was in the mood for another activity.
And once the phrase "Ghost-type Pokémon" entered the conversation… many kids turned pale, their faces frozen in fear. Screams and shivers rippled through the crowd.
"Alright, no need to worry, everyone," Professor Oak said with a chuckle. "Tonight's activity doesn't involve catching Ghost-type Pokémon.
However… I won't be telling you what it is just yet."
"For now, return to your cabins and rest. The event will begin sharp at 9 p.m. tonight."
He stood in the camp plaza outside the cafeteria, his calm voice oddly soothing — even as it stirred curiosity.
"…Okay…"
Although the kids weren't thrilled, Professor Oak held a lot of authority in their hearts. In the end, nobody dared argue.
The campers returned to their cabins, chatting excitedly (and anxiously) with their roommates about the mysterious nighttime activity. Theories flew like wildfire.
"Hey Ash, what do you think the event will be?" Gary asked as they walked back. The other kids around them were all deep in speculation.
"You're the professor's grandson. Shouldn't we be asking you?"
"Hmph. Grandpa didn't tell me anything about tonight's schedule either. I'm as clueless as you are."
"Well if you don't know, then there's no point in guessing," said Ash. "We'll find out at 9 tonight anyway. For now, let's just rest up and prepare ourselves."
"Whatever they've got planned, we'll handle it when the time comes."
He turned to his three roommates — and then to the girls in Serena's cabin across the way. "Don't overthink it. Just be ready."
"…Mm."
The others nodded, trusting Ash's calm reasoning.
"A nighttime activity, huh…" Ash mused quietly.
Before coming to camp, he'd done some research on past Pokémon Summer Camps. Thinking back now, he remembered something that made the corner of his lips curl up slightly.
Sure enough — when dinner ended and everyone waited anxiously in their cabins, the minutes crawled by until finally… 9 p.m. arrived.
Night had fallen completely.
Though the campgrounds were brightly lit, everything beyond them — the forest, the trails, the trees — was shrouded in inky blackness.
It felt like monsters lurked just out of sight. Bloodthirsty beasts. Malevolent shadows. Ghostly figures whispering from behind the trees.
A chilly night wind swept across the plaza where all the campers had gathered. Many of them instinctively hunched their shoulders, spooked by the dark.
Especially those in the back rows — who kept glancing nervously behind them, as if something might jump out from the shadows.
"Alright," Professor Oak began, "other than Goh, who was injured during today's fishing activity and is currently hospitalized, and Chloe, who accompanied him to the hospital, everyone else is present."
"Let me now explain tonight's activity — and the rules."
"Tonight's event is called the Midnight Courage Test!"
"Students from different cabins will form teams of two. Each team will head into the forest together."
"We've hidden number tags at various checkpoints, located 200 to 1000 meters from the campgrounds."
"For every tag a team brings back, each member earns 2 points. The maximum score for each camper is 10 points."
"So do your best."
"You now have 15 minutes to form teams. Remember: you cannot pair up with someone from your own cabin."
"Once you've chosen your partner, come register your team with us. The event begins in 15 minutes."
As soon as Professor Oak finished, the entire camp burst into a collective groan.
On the surface, the Midnight Courage Test didn't seem dangerous — it didn't involve battling, after all.
But from an adult's perspective, it was easy to underestimate the challenge.
For a group of six-year-olds, this was terrifying.
Ash recalled something from the forums he'd read before camp:
Veterans of past Summer Camps had consistently agreed — the Midnight Courage Test was the scariest and hardest activity of the entire camp.
Even bold kids like Gary, Green, Tierno… all of them were now wide-eyed, their earlier bravado evaporated like mist.
"Gary," Ash said quietly, "imagine that when camp ends, you miss out on the top three because someone else got more points than you…"
"Green, imagine that you don't qualify for Excellent Camper… and you lose your chance to apply for Pikachu as your starter…"
"And they just take Pikachu back and send it back to the League's lab…"
"Can you picture that?"
Gary: "No!!"
Green: "No way!!"
Just imagining that heartbreaking scene made both Gary and Green shout out in protest, their fear temporarily replaced by panic.
"Good," said Ash with a smirk. "If none of us want to be overtaken, then it's time to get moving."
"At least we're lucky — our two cabins know each other well."
"Most of the other campers will be scrambling to team up with strangers in the middle of the night. They won't have any sense of trust or safety between them."
"And that's what makes this event so terrifying."
He looked around at his friends.
Gary: "Mm, you're right."
Green: "Let's get started. Gary gege, let's team up!"
Serena: "Ash… can I be your partner?"
Shauna: "Trevor, let's team up!"
"Eh?! Then what about me?" Tierno cried out, panicked to see everyone around him already forming pairs.
"Chloe went to the hospital with Goh, and there are only so many of us left from our cabins…" Shauna frowned. "No one's left to team up with Tierno."
"There are 100 campers total," Ash explained. "Even with Goh and Chloe absent, the remaining 98 can still pair off evenly."
"But since our two cabins have already finished teaming up, Tierno will have to find a partner from a different cabin."
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T/N:
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