The moment Chloe's identity was revealed, the crowd erupted in whispers and stares. She stood there, cheeks burning, looking like she wanted to disappear. But beside her, Goh was grinning from ear to ear, his nose practically pointing to the sky.
"Hmph!"
He puffed out his chest proudly, basking in the attention—as if he were the one being admired, not Chloe.
Among the local and Kalos-region students, Gary's expression darkened. Watching the Goh standing tall with a smug look made him itch with irritation.
"Ash, I think I hate that guy already," Gary muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Ash chuckled. "Hahaha, in that case, Gary, want me to help? I could 'accidentally' mention you're Professor Oak's grandson. That would instantly make you the flashiest guy here."
Gary rolled his eyes. "Forget it, I'm not that childish. But still… that guy—Goh, was it?—just rubs me the wrong way. What do you say, Ash? Once camp starts, we teach him a little lesson?"
Ash grinned, pretending to look righteous. "I'm a good kid, Gary. Don't drag me into your evil plots."
"Oh, please. Don't act innocent." Gary leaned closer, whispering with a smirk. "You might not have said it out loud, but from the moment you saw that guy, I could feel the hostility coming off you."
He crossed his arms smugly. "Lucky for you, I feel the same way. So how about it? When camp begins, let's mess with him a little."
Ash raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "You sure you're not imagining things?"
"Come on, I've known you since the day we were born. We even share the same birthday, remember? I can read you like a book. When you looked at that girl—Serena—your eyes were shining. Totally obvious you like her. But when you looked at that Goh kid, you didn't even have to frown. I could tell—deep down, you can't stand him."
"Trust me," Gary added with a grin, "I know you better than you think."
Ash smirked. "Oh yeah? Then tell me, Mr. Mind Reader—do I like you or hate you?"
Gary's jaw tightened. "Shut up!" he barked, looking away.
Ash laughed quietly, satisfied.
…
Later that noon, Professor Oak finished explaining the details of the camp schedule—departure at 1:30 sharp from the town entrance—and dismissed the group.
"Let's go home for lunch," Ash said. "We'll eat, rest up a bit, then head to the forest camp this afternoon."
He wasn't paying much attention to Goh anymore. That smug brat was just a six-year-old with too much attitude—no real threat for now.
Ash knew exactly who he was: the chosen one, the true protagonist blessed by the world's will itself. Even if, in the original timeline, Goh would one day steal the spotlight during the Journeys arc, that day was still far away.
Before Goh could ever rise, Ash would already conquer everything—the Indigo League, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and even Alola. By the time the Galar saga came around, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town would stand unrivaled.
To him, Goh was just a noisy background character—nothing more than a jumping clown in the grand story of destiny.
Still, Ash wasn't careless. He'd written Goh's name down in his mental notebook, ready to "check in" from time to time. And if fate ever presented him an opportunity? He'd strike without hesitation.
"No mercy. No hesitation," Ash thought calmly.
But that was for later. For now, his focus was clear: dominate this Pokémon Summer Camp.
Winning first place meant earning the right to own Pokémon before the age of ten. That license would unlock everything—his future training, his psychic development, and even the next phase of his Ascension Trainer System plan.
As he walked home with Tierno and Trevor, Ash's mind was already racing ahead.
"Once I get that early license," he thought, "I can start training seriously—and use my psychic healing and duplication abilities to earn money too."
"Hey, Ash, wait up! I'm coming to your house for lunch again!" Gary shouted, jogging to catch up.
Ash sighed, stopping to glance back. "Gary, why are you always eating at my place lately? What about those two guests staying at your house?"
Gary shrugged. "Those guys practically worship my grandpa. So I let them stay at the lab and eat with the researchers. They're thrilled about it."
Ash chuckled softly. "Yeah, that sounds like them."
Truth be told, he didn't really care much about the other campers. Out of all sixty participants—from Pallet, Kalos, and other Kanto cities—only a handful caught his attention: Gary, Tierno, Trevor, and the three girls next door—Green, Shauna, and Serena.
As for Goh and Chloe, he'd keep an eye on them, but nothing more.
What Ash didn't realize, however, was that while he wasn't paying much attention to the others, they were very much paying attention to him.
Even his tardiness on the first day had somehow become a local legend among the visiting Kalos students. When they learned that the boy who'd slept in and showed up late was actually one of Pallet Town's two most famous prodigies—Ash Ketchum—they couldn't help but be intrigued.
And so, before the summer camp had even begun, Ash had already captured everyone's attention—just by being himself.
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