From the words of two arrogant boys sitting nearby, Goh had finally learned the true identity of Gary. And to his dismay, he saw his good friend Chloe sitting and chatting casually with Gary and his group.
Goh was full of regret—he should have seized the chance to get to know Gary sooner. Now, he was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to approach them and build a connection.
Coming over to ask Chloe if she had anything to eat was merely an excuse. After all, he already knew there was only one chocolate bar in Chloe's bag—and he'd already eaten it earlier.
He wasn't here for food. What he truly wanted was an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Gary and the others—
Originally, he didn't expect it to go smoothly. But to his surprise, it worked. The very person he wanted to grow closer to actually took the initiative to talk to him and even offered to help.
Goh was completely caught off guard, delighted beyond measure.
…
…
When Ash heard Goh respectfully call Gary "Mr. Gary Oak," he couldn't help but raise his head from the camera photos he was reviewing and shoot a glance at Gary beside him.
"No need to be so formal. We're all here for the summer camp—helping each other is the right thing to do."
"Ash, hand me the bag," Gary said with a slight smile, nudging Ash with his elbow, clearly amused by Goh's fawning behavior.
"Sure thing, Mr. Gary Oak!!" Ash emphasized the words "Mr. Gary Oak" with extra weight, then obediently played along and handed his backpack to Gary like a loyal sidekick.
Gary ignored Ash's subtle glare, opened the bag, and took out some expired compressed biscuits and canned food—snacks that Ash's mom, Delia, had mistakenly stuffed into the bag days ago—and passed them to Chloe.
"Thanks, Gary." Chloe politely accepted the food and then handed all of it to Goh. "Here you go, Goh~"
"Thanks, Mr. Gary Oak." Goh didn't bother thanking Chloe, who had gone out of her way to get the food for him. Instead, he immediately directed all his gratitude toward Gary.
That small detail made Green and Shauna's eyes fill with disdain, while only Serena, who was still clueless about social cues, failed to notice anything off.
"No need to thank me. Dinner's still a while away. If you're hungry, eat a little more," Gary said casually, still wearing his usual sincere and composed smile.
"Right, thank you, thank you, Mr. Gary Oak."
"I'll head back now, Chloe." Having achieved his goal, Goh was worried his enthusiasm might come off as too eager, so after a quick farewell, he turned and returned to his seat.
Watching him walk away, Green, Shauna, and Serena all looked toward Gary, silently asking the same question with their eyes:
"Weren't those canned goods and biscuits expired? Why would you give that to someone?"
Sensing the unspoken confusion from everyone except Ash and Chloe, Gary didn't explain. Instead, he spread his arms in a smug little shrug.
Green and Shauna exchanged glances, shrugged, and didn't say anything more.
Ash, sitting in the back row, let the faint glow of aura fade from his eyes. He withdrew his gaze from the three girls and gave a satisfied nod.
Earlier, when he used the "being late" excuse to let the girls see Goh's true personality, they had already lost any interest or goodwill toward him.
Now, Gary had handed Goh expired food as a prank, and although it might end up giving the guy an upset stomach, neither Green nor Shauna seemed bothered by it. In fact, thanks to his aura-sensing ability, Ash could feel that even Serena was secretly enjoying this petty revenge.
…
Goh, completely unaware of what had just transpired behind him, happily returned to his seat, holding his treasured food.
Despite normally being very picky and never touching emergency rations like these, the fact that they came from Gary made them feel like rare delicacies.
He was hungry too. As Chloe had mentioned earlier, Professor Oak had arranged for them to eat lunch at a local canteen. But the meal included cilantro, which Goh absolutely hated, so he had eaten barely anything.
Now his stomach was growling. And looking at the compressed biscuits and canned food in his hands, even someone as particular as Goh couldn't resist.
He didn't hesitate. He opened a can of bread and started eating happily.
"Whoa!! It's pumpkin-flavored—my favorite! And the bread is so soft, not at all hard and dry like I imagined."
"Mmm!! So good~" Whether it was because of his hunger or some psychological effect of receiving it from Gary, Goh found the food especially delicious. He never realized the food had expired long ago.
…
…
The forest camp hosting the summer camp wasn't far from Pallet Town. After the bus passed through the valley between two mountains that could be seen from the town entrance, it turned down a side road.
Within 15 minutes, the bus arrived at the camp site—a wide, open clearing carved out in the middle of the forest. Wooden fences surrounded the perimeter, and inside were rows of beautifully crafted log cabins.
Each cabin had a colorful little flag planted in front, each with a different Pokémon printed on it.
For Kanto: the three starters (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander), along with Pidgey, Spearow, Rattata, Oddish...
For Kalos: the starters (Chespin, Froakie, Fennekin), Fletchling, Vivillon, Diggersby, Flabébé...
The moment the students stepped off the bus, their eyes sparkled as they stared at the rows of log cabins—their new homes for the next two weeks.
"Wow!! These log cabins are so pretty!"
"Yeah! I thought we'd be camping in tents. I never expected cabins!"
"Me too! Honestly, I was worried. I hate sleeping in tents. One time my dad took me and my mom camping, and we stayed in a tent overnight."
"The wind howled through the forest, and the shadows of the trees were projected onto the tent walls—it was terrifying! I couldn't sleep at all."
…
…
The excited chatter of students filled the air as they admired their temporary woodland homes.
…
…
Earlier, Goh had overheard two arrogant boys mocking him from their neighboring seats.
Though they, like him, aspired to become Pokémon researchers, their condescending tone wounded his pride. He had no desire to befriend them anymore.
Fortunately, Goh had found a new group of friends. As soon as he stepped off the bus, he rushed toward Ash, Gary, and the others.
"Mr. Gary Oak, have you chosen a cabin yet? Can I be your roommate?" Goh asked excitedly, completely unaware that he had just eaten expired food, and still hadn't gotten sick.
…
…
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T/N:
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