"The best way for Trainers to introduce themselves… is through a Pokémon battle."
After handing out the Poké Balls, Professor Oak cleared his throat and raised his voice so it echoed across the campgrounds.
"Next, each of you young Trainers can challenge up to five fellow campers you're particularly interested in. You can earn up to 10 points in this phase."
"Winning a match will give you 2 points, a draw gives you 1, and a loss gets you nothing. Got it?"
"Got it!"
"Got it!"
The voices of excited young Trainers filled the open field. Their faces were still lit up with joy from receiving their very first Pokémon, and they responded in unison.
"Good. Since everyone understands the rules, you now have half an hour to prepare. Use it wisely."
As he watched the passionate and energetic crowd of new Trainers scatter across the grounds, Professor Oak smiled with a trace of nostalgia. After all, he too had once been young… and had once dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Master.
"Yes, sir!"
The kids didn't know what was going through Professor Oak's mind. Having just received their Pokémon, they quickly scattered in pairs and trios, eager to bond with their new partners.
Moments ago, the camp was buzzing with excitement. Now, the grounds had already emptied out quite a bit.
Just as Ash and the others were about to go off and get to know their new Pokémon better, Goh—who had received a Magikarp—couldn't hold back a loud, agonized sigh.
"Aghhh!!" He looked down at the Poké Ball in his hand, his face full of bitterness. All the joy and excitement from earlier had completely vanished.
"Goh…" Seeing her friend so downcast, the gentle and kind-hearted Chloe felt sad for him.
She knew Goh had come to the summer camp with a clear goal in mind: to win first place and earn the title of Outstanding Camper. But to think he got assigned… a Magikarp?
There was no denying it. His luck was horrendous.
With a Magikarp, winning battles—let alone the top honor—was close to impossible.
Chloe looked at the Poké Ball in her own hand, hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make up her mind.
"Goh, why don't we trade Pokémon~?"
Her suggestion stunned everyone—especially Ash and the others.
Even though they were surprised by Chloe's offer, Goh reacted as if he had expected it all along.
"Really? Thanks, Chloe!"
He beamed. Without hesitation, he reached out eagerly to take the Poké Ball from Chloe's hand, which held a cute, pink Pokémon.
But just as the exchange was about to happen, Ash furrowed his brow.
He didn't like what he was seeing—at all.
Not only did he find Goh's behavior distasteful, he also felt disappointed in Chloe for being so soft. In his opinion, kindness should have its limits. Being too generous could easily turn into sheer stupidity.
Sure, Chloe and Goh were childhood friends. And sacrificing for a friend wasn't exactly wrong.
But as an outsider looking in, Ash could clearly see that Goh didn't treat Chloe as a true friend.
He had already made Chloe cover for his tardiness earlier, and now he was about to take advantage of her again. From every angle, it looked like Goh was using her.
And knowing how things played out in the original timeline, Ash already harbored strong hostility toward Goh—someone who might eventually steal the protagonist's spotlight.
So now, watching Chloe about to hand over her Pokémon to Goh… Ash found the whole scene incredibly irritating.
He wasn't going to let this slide.
With a cough, Ash subtly signaled to Gary, who was standing nearby.
And Gary—his childhood buddy who had grown up wearing the same pair of pants, figuratively speaking—instantly caught on to the cue.
Just as Goh and Chloe were about to exchange Poké Balls, Gary stepped forward and blocked them.
"Wait a second, Chloe. The Pokémon given out at this summer camp are registered in the system once they're distributed."
"That means campers aren't allowed to trade Pokémon with each other. If you're caught, not only will Goh be disqualified, but you'll also be kicked out of camp."
"We're your friends, so we won't rat you out. But earlier, Goh already released his Magikarp. I'm sure some of the other campers saw it."
"If you two go through with this trade, and someone else reports it… well, you can imagine what happens next."
Gary's voice was calm but carried a sharp edge as he stood between them.
"Disqualified from camp!?" Goh froze as if he'd just been electrocuted. His hand, reaching for Chloe's Poké Ball, instantly pulled back.
He didn't doubt Gary's words. After all, this camp was run by Professor Oak himself—and Gary was his grandson. He'd clearly know more than the average camper.
Sure, trying to win with just a Magikarp was extremely difficult.
But if he broke the rules and got expelled from camp, he'd lose any chance altogether.
"Thanks, Chloe. Let's not trade. I… I think Magikarp's actually pretty cool," Goh said with a forced smile, trying his best to look unbothered as he pulled his gaze away from Chloe's Poké Ball.
"…Okay then." Realizing the consequences of trading, and hearing Goh's refusal, Chloe sighed and gave up on the idea.
Ash, watching the scene unfold, smiled faintly.
His plan had worked.
Though they hadn't openly fought, Ash had successfully sabotaged Goh's little scheme. And to make things seem less obvious, he even offered Goh a few words of comfort.
"You know, Goh, you're not wrong. Magikarp isn't as bad as people say. The research team picked out these Pokémon carefully. They're all balanced in terms of strength and potential."
"Most people think Magikarp can't do anything—only knows Splash. But that's not exactly true. It can actually learn Tackle too."
"So I'd bet your Magikarp already knows Tackle. Even if it doesn't, I'm sure with a bit of training, it will."
"I mean, this camp includes battle sessions. Professor Oak wouldn't give a camper a Pokémon that can't fight at all, right?"
Ash's tone was casual and confident. Whether Goh believed him or not… Ash didn't really care.
He had already used the Ascension Trainer System to secretly scan Goh's Magikarp. And yes—it only knew Splash. Skill proficiency: Beginner.
But so what?
He'd said what he needed to say. Let Goh live with that little glimmer of false hope.
…
…
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T/N:
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