"I think…" Ash began, activating his Aura Sense to scan the campgrounds. His gaze swept across the plaza, picking out which campers still hadn't formed teams — and more importantly, which ones were filled with fear… and which held courage in their hearts.
The results were instant. Among the unpaired campers, one girl stood out with a surprising amount of inner bravery.
Ash blinked in surprise when he saw who it was — the same girl he'd battled in the camp's opening challenge yesterday. The one who used Bellsprout. Her name… was Jeanette.
"Tierno, that girl over there — her name's Jeanette. She's still unpaired. Why don't you go ask her to team up with you?" Ash pointed toward the girl standing in a quiet corner of the plaza, wearing a small kimono and a big red bow in her hair.
"Ooh! Okay!" Tierno trusted Ash completely. Without hesitation, he waddled over to Jeanette and invited her to be his partner.
Given that Ash's group was already at the top of the Camper Points Leaderboard, and that Tierno's big, solid frame gave off a feeling of reliability, Jeanette glanced briefly toward Ash… then gave a small nod of agreement.
With that, every member of Ash's circle had successfully formed teams:
Ash × Serena
Gary × Green
Shauna × Trevor
Jeanette × Tierno
They all headed over to Professor Oak's table for team registration.
—15 minutes later—
"Alright, campers, please line up by group," Oak announced. "Each team, send one member to collect a flashlight. When I give the signal, one team will leave every three minutes, starting from the gate."
At the camp's entrance, the paired teams stood waiting.
Mid-line, Ash turned to Serena and gently asked,
"Nervous?"
"Mmm-hmm~"
She didn't try to hide it. Serena was with the person she trusted and liked most in this whole camp — so she didn't mind being honest.
"If you're scared… you can hold my hand." Ash offered his hand calmly.
"Mm…"
Serena's cheeks flushed a deep pink, but she didn't resist. With a shy smile, she reached out and gently took hold of Ash's fingers.
Though her face burned with embarrassment, just holding Ash's hand filled her with a sense of peace and safety.
Ash, meanwhile, wasn't thinking much of it. To him, it was just a way to help her feel more at ease.
While Ash helped Serena calm her nerves, the line ahead of them began moving. Under the guidance of Oak's staff, the first few groups had already departed into the night.
Girl A: "AHHH!!"
Girl B: "AAAAHH!!"
Two girls screamed in unison, gripping each other's hands and charging into the shadowy darkness ahead, their flashlights swinging wildly.
Their shouting wasn't from excitement — it was how they were trying to cope with fear.
But they didn't realize… their terrified screaming only made the atmosphere at the camp gate even more terrifying for those still waiting.
Every three minutes, a new team was sent off. Gradually, the line shortened. After about ten minutes, it was finally Ash and Serena's turn.
"Alright everyone, good luck!" Ash waved back to Gary, Green, and the others still waiting. "Serena, let's go."
Without waiting for a response, he gave her hand a small tug — and together, the two of them stepped into the forest.
Ssssh… rustle…
Whoooosh…
The night forest was pitch black.
Tall trees loomed like giants, their branches swaying in the cold night wind. The underbrush and grass whispered with the movements of unseen creatures, making the darkness feel even heavier.
Though Oak had said that the number tags were hidden somewhere between 200 to 1000 meters from the gate, once inside the woods…
Even the most competitive campers — those obsessed with getting top three, or becoming Excellent Campers — had only one instinct in that moment:
Run back and escape!
Ash suspected that after tonight, the rankings on the Camper Points Leaderboard would shift drastically.
But he was confident his spot wouldn't change.
Because for him, this forest test was basically set to "easy mode."
With Aura Sense activated, everything within a few hundred meters around his body was crystal clear in his mind. Any danger — Pokémon, terrain, obstacles — would be spotted long before it reached them.
Add to that the fact that he had the soul of a fully grown adult in his six-year-old body…
This pitch-black forest? It didn't scare him one bit.
Of course, he wasn't scared…
But Serena definitely was.
Back at the gate, she had only lightly held onto his fingers.
But now — deep in the forest — she was clutching his whole hand tightly, even pressing her body close to his side.
He could feel her trembling, even without using Aura.
"Serena," he said softly, "why don't you let Clefairy out? I'll keep Froakie by my side too. The more friends around, the less scary it'll feel."
"…Mm-hmm."
She nodded and followed his advice, releasing her Clefairy from its Poké Ball.
As for Froakie — Ash never actually put it away. It stayed out with him 24/7, so there was no need to summon it.
"Clefairy," Ash smiled, "Serena's really scared right now. Could you sing a little song to help her relax?"
"Just a normal song — not the 'Sing' move, okay?"
"Clef~!"
Clefairy looked at Serena's frightened face, gave a soft nod, and began humming a tune.
"Clef cle-cle clef…"
"Clef cle-clef cleee~…"
It wasn't using the Sing move, so it didn't have any magical sleep-inducing power. In fact, the tune wasn't even very good — a little off-key, a little silly.
But somehow… it helped.
Serena wasn't as tense anymore.
The boy and the girl walked hand-in-hand into the heart of the dark forest, their flashlight lighting the way ahead.
Clefairy walked in front of them, singing its strange little song.
There were no flowers lining the path…
But there was music — soft, strange, comforting — leading them forward.
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T/N:
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