As a transmigrator, Ash was already far more mature than kids his age. He had a strong sense of independence and clear judgment, which even Gary—usually the "boss" among the children of Pallet Town—had gradually come to respect.
Most boys didn't notice these subtle shifts in group dynamics. But girls? Girls noticed everything.
Living next door to Ash was Green, and ever since Shauna and Serena had moved in temporarily, the three girls had spent plenty of time chatting together. And recently, the name "Ash" had been popping up more and more in their conversations.
In the original timeline, Serena only started to develop feelings for Ash after an unexpected moment during this very Summer Camp.
But this time, before that "accidental" encounter even happened—before the Summer Camp had even officially started—Ash had already made a deep impression on the shy Serena.
…
After lunch, Gary didn't bother going home. He just took his afternoon nap at Ash's place.
When it was nearly time to meet up at the town gate, Gary borrowed Ash's home phone to call his mom. Shortly after, Delia arrived to drop off Gary's luggage herself.
"Ash," she said gently, "this camp will last for two full weeks. Since you were a baby, this is the first time you'll be away from Mommy for so long."
"I know it'll be hard for you to say goodbye, but boys need to become more independent as they grow. That way, girls will like you more too!"
"Here—pants, jeans, shirts, some emergency rations from our disaster kit at home—yes, they're expired, but they're instant meals. Oh, and rubber gloves for cooking, and some clotheslines for drying laundry. I packed everything."
She handed him a bulging backpack with a proud smile.
"Mom… I'm going to Pokémon Summer Camp, not hiking solo into the wilderness," Ash groaned. "They have staff to cook and do laundry. Most of this stuff isn't even necessary."
"And seriously—expired canned food and survival biscuits? Are you just using me as your trash disposal service?"
Ash stared into his bag with a speechless expression, finding cans and bricks of stale rations crammed inside.
Next to him, Gary, Tierno, and Trevor were all holding back laughter, failing miserably.
Delia scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Ahaha~ Mommy worked really hard to pack your things. As for those expired rations… I may have thrown them in by accident. You can do whatever you want with them—just don't eat them!"
"Alright, thanks, Mom," Ash sighed, zipping up the bag. "We'll get going now."
"Okay, sweetie~"
"Ash, remember to wear pajamas at night. And Gary, Tierno, Trevor—you all need to brush your teeth morning and night too!"
"Got it, Mom! We know already!" Ash waved helplessly as the four boys set off down the road, bags on their backs.
Ash hadn't napped that afternoon. He'd been on the computer, reviewing Pokémon data from Kanto and Kalos. That's why, when it was time to gather at the town entrance, he wasn't late at all.
Two large white buses had already arrived. Ash and the others casually boarded one and picked seats.
"Wait—those expired canned goods!" Ash suddenly smacked his forehead as he caught a glimpse of a trash bin near the bus stop. "I forgot to throw them out!"
Tierno chuckled. "Too late now. The bus is about to leave. Just toss them once we reach the forest camp."
Unlike the lively and active Tierno, Trevor was more reserved. He hadn't talked much at first, but after two days of staying at Ash's place, the boys had grown quite close.
"By the way, Ash," Green piped up from the front row, "why didn't you bring Pichu along? We could've helped you take care of it too!"
Ever since she found out Ash had caught a Pichu, Green had been bringing Shauna and Serena over to his house constantly. She'd even announced she was going to catch a Pichu of her own.
Ash didn't hide Pichu's existence from Green, but he and his mom had agreed on a consistent story: the Pichu belonged to Delia.
Even though Ash didn't particularly respect the League's rules, he preferred to avoid breaking them unless necessary.
"Pichu's too adorable," Ash replied seriously. "If I brought it here and some brat at camp decided to pick on it, I'd be furious. And since I'm dead set on becoming an Outstanding Camper, I can't afford to lose points by retaliating."
"To avoid any conflict or heartache, I left Pichu at home—even though I really don't want to be apart from it."
"Aww… two whole weeks without seeing Pichu?" Green clutched Serena in mock despair. "That's so sad!"
…
"Eh? Why hasn't our bus left yet? The others already departed! Driver, is something wrong with the vehicle?"
"Yeah! Hurry up or we'll get stuck with the worst rooms at the forest camp!"
The complaints bubbled up from impatient campers.
"Please be patient," the driver stood up and addressed the group. "Two students still haven't boarded yet."
Just then, a boy with a red hair clip and a girl with braided pigtails came running down the town road.
"Huff… Huff…"
The boy was slightly faster than the girl and managed to reach the bus first.
"I'm sorry!! My friend had a stomachache and needed the restroom. Really sorry for the delay!"
The boy—Goh—gave a proper, sincere bow.
"It's fine, you were only a few minutes late. Take a seat quickly, Goh," the driver said.
The delay wasn't serious, and since Goh had apologized respectfully, most of the passengers let it go. Only two kids in the front— Puff and Tora—kept grumbling under their breath.
Ash, however, narrowed his eyes, silently observing Goh's shoes—still damp with restroom water.
For a brief second, a faint blue Aura shimmered in Ash's eyes before disappearing. His lips curled into a curious smirk.
Interesting.
…
…
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T/N:
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