Chapter 148: The Surprisingly Mysterious Pokémon!!
After the conclusion of their final battle, Ash and Serena took Froakie and Clefairy to the Pokémon Center for recovery and healing.
Although Ash and Serena's doubles match had ended in victory, the day's battles were far from over for the other campers. The atmosphere remained electric as new matchups commenced across the various training fields. Cheers erupted again, and the excitement surged through the summer camp grounds.
But for Ash, the crucial part of the day was over. Today marked the final day of the Pokémon Summer Camp. More importantly, Ash had just earned a perfect score 10 out of 10 in the tenth and final assessment activity: the Doubles Challenge.
The updated "Student Achievement Score Ranking · General List" displayed Ash in first place, having accumulated the highest total 100 points across all activities. Finally, the weight that had silently pressed on Ash's mind lifted, and he could breathe easy.
Although Ash had maintained a leading score throughout the camp and excelled in every test demonstrating exceptional performance, teamwork, and battle tactics there was always one lingering uncertainty.
Ever since the secret of his "forbidden power: Healing Technique" had been exposed, Ash had drawn attention and admiration for helping fellow students and their Pokémon recover from injuries or fatigue. His ability to directly apply healing energy using the mysterious technique had become widely known among students, instructors, and even media observers.
And while his record and skills made him a favorite for being named the camp's Excellent Student, there were still risks. The Friendship Doubles Challenge on the final day introduced unpredictability, especially with other skilled participants eager to impress the League evaluators. Ash knew that even a 99.99% chance of victory wasn't 100% certain. There could always be unforeseen upsets.
Only now with ten out of ten events complete and a flawless score recorded did Ash finally feel the certainty he needed: he was the top performer at the Pokémon Summer Camp.
Not only would that distinction earn him the official "Excellent Student" award, but it also came with two critical League-granted privileges: early Pokémon Trainer qualification and the right to select one of the Kanto starter Pokémon Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle before the general public distribution.
Despite his own joy, Ash remained concerned for Serena, who had shown signs of fatigue and flushed cheeks after their match. He insisted on walking her back to the camp cabin to rest properly before departing on his next errand.
After making sure Serena was safely in her room, Ash left the main campgrounds and headed toward the open plains, where Gary and the others were still gathered at the designated battle zone on the eastern side of the facility.
Then, without fanfare, Ash slipped away from the group and quietly led Froakie out through the northern trail toward the forested edge of the valley, just beyond the established Pokémon Camp border.
Throughout the two-week camp, Ash had made the most of every hour. Thanks to his Assist-type "Healing Technique", he had frequently helped both camp Pokémon and those distributed temporarily to students. He had also used his mysterious replication ability to copy the movesets of nearly every Pokémon brought by fellow students.
Additionally, the Saffron City TV Station, which had been covering the camp for a reality docuseries, had deployed 100 Rotom-controlled camera drones, and Ash—ever resourceful had even managed to copy multiple unique drone techniques from these Rotom Units.
In the evenings, during the only true free time available, Ash would wander the surrounding forests, coming into contact with wild Pokémon in the valley region. He would battle and bond with them, often copying their abilities or even bestowing minor enhancements via his slipping power.
Between morning training, daylong summer camp activities, spontaneous copying, healing, and skill absorption, Ash's daily schedule had been completely packed. But the results were remarkable.
At this point, Ash had successfully copied nearly all student Pokémon skills, replicated techniques from every one of the 100 Rotom drones, and even managed to catalog most of the wild Pokémon in the areas surrounding the camp.
However, the valley was vast larger than most students had realized. Even with Ash's diligence, one remote edge of the valley, near the northwestern slope, remained unscanned and unexplored for skill replication.
And today, with the summer camp officially ending tomorrow morning, this would be Ash's last opportunity to finish what he started.
Ash also intended to seize this final opportunity to replicate the abilities of the remaining wild Pokémon inhabiting the last unexplored section of the valley camp.
Exiting the shadowed edge of the forest, he stepped into a sweeping expanse of lush green grassland.
Yes this final region of the valley, untouched until now, lay across the outer meadows and shrublands that gently bordered the valley's perimeter foothills. Because this area hadn't been marked earlier with Ash's Aura Pulse Mapping, it took nearly half an hour of trekking through dense tree lines before reaching the undulating grassland at the valley's edge.
As Ash emerged from the forest trail, the scenery before him opened wide rolling fields blanketed with soft, springy green grass, lightly stirred by the breeze. Wildflowers of varying hues azure blue, soft lavender, daffodil yellow, and pale pink dotted the meadows, creating a living mosaic under the clear sky.
Scattered across the landscape, he spotted familiar Grass-type Pokémon, such as Oddish, Bellsprout, and Hoppip, basking in the sunlight or lightly dancing among the flowers.
Ash, accompanied by Froakie, approached carefully. With Viridian Forest's "Natural Affinity" still passively activated through his unique Aura link, the Pokémon responded with calm curiosity. Rather than fleeing, the more timid ones stayed put, their round eyes cautiously observing Ash.
Others, like a Butterfree flitting overhead or a low-jumping Kola Kola from nearby scrub, showed no hesitation, even flying toward Ash with interest. Thanks to the steady strengthening of Ash's Viridian-borne Aura, the Pokémon had grown increasingly receptive to him sensing the warmth, sincerity, and protective energy that radiated from his bond with nature.
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Pokémon Encountered:
[Butterfree]
Level: LV.10
Type: Bug/Flying
Nature: Gentle
Ability: Compound Eyes
Potential: D (Common)
Copyable Skills
Proficient: Tackle, String Shot, Bug Bite, Harden
Unusual: Confusion, Gust, Supersonic
[Kola Kola (fan-named species)]
Level: LV.8
Type: Ground
Nature: Cheerful
Ability: Rock Head
Potential: C (Normal)
Copyable Skills
Proficient: Mud-Slap, Growl
Unusual: False Swipe, Tail Whip
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Due to safety protocols enforced by Professor Oak and the Pokémon Summer Camp staff, wild Pokémon in the training valley are strictly regulated. Leveling through direct combat is not allowed, and aggressive species are removed from the area.
That said, species like Butterfree—naturally peaceful and non-aggressive—are permitted exceptions. These are rare "slip-through" species, calm by nature, who flee from confrontation rather than initiate battle. During the entire camp session, Ash noted that virtually all wild Pokémon encountered—excluding evolved outliers—remained under Level 10, further affirming the camp's protective measures.
It took Ash a fair amount of time, but he finally succeeded in copying all of the known techniques from the Pokémon inhabiting the meadow.
As he glanced up at the sky, estimating that the sun was already past its zenith, Ash prepared to bid farewell to the affectionate and clingy Pokémon. He turned back toward the forest trail, ready to return to base camp.
But just as he stepped away, his senses were sharply jolted by distant crashing sounds—rapid and rhythmic:
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Ash's expression shifted. "What's going on? Battle sounds?" he murmured, surprised and alert.
It was understandable for Ash to be stunned.this region was remote, far from the camp's assigned challenge zones, and all students were occupied with the Closed Camp Finals. There should have been no one else here.
What's more, the Pokémon in this region were gentle and non-territorial. With abundant food sources and limited competition, wild Pokémon in this part of the valley had no cause to fight.
"Let's go, Froakie. Let's check it out!" Ash called, and the two sprinted across the grasslands, weaving through flower-dappled hills as the sound of clashing Pokémon grew louder.
Climbing to the top of a slightly elevated earth mound, Ash came to a halt and caught a full view of the source.
Sure enough, it was a battle between two Pokémon one with a deep purple hide, the other with a full-body hue of brilliant pink.
The purple figure was unmistakable: a Nidoking. Massive, armored, and bristling with muscle, its very presence was rare in a zone like this.
But Ash didn't linger on that shock.
His eyes locked instead on the opposing Pokémon delicate, glowing softly under the sunlight, body enveloped in pink.
His heart skipped.
"This is...!!" Ash gasped, eyes widening as the mysterious Pokémon moved gracefully across the battlefield.
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