"Really? Magikarp knows Tackle?"
Goh's eyes lit up as soon as he heard Ash say it.
Ash nodded solemnly. "Yeah—well, I'm not 100% sure… but I'd say it's pretty likely."
"So, Goh," he continued, his tone persuasive, "you really shouldn't take the risk of breaking the rules just to trade Pokémon. If you get reported, you won't just be hurting yourself… you'll drag Chloe down with you too."
"Besides, didn't you say earlier that anyone staying in the Starter Pokémon cabin gets special attention and bonus points from Professor Oak? If that's the case, then the camper who receives such a rare and unusual Magikarp…"
"…will definitely catch Professor Oak's eye."
Ash, fully enjoying his own spin, kept the act going—completely ignoring the fact that he was essentially pulling a long con.
But to Goh, every word sounded deeply reasonable. He didn't doubt it for a second.
Just moments ago, Magikarp felt like a curse. But now?
Now, it looked like a hidden treasure.
"Thanks, Ash! I really do like this Magikarp!"
Beaming, Goh scooped it up in his arms. "I'm going to go bond with it. You guys should go help your Pokémon train too!"
Before anyone could respond, Goh bolted off with his flopping, wide-eyed Magikarp—grinning like he'd just won the lottery.
As he ran off, Goh made sure to loop conspicuously right in front of Professor Oak—holding his Magikarp high, clearly wanting the professor to notice who had it.
And sure enough… it worked.
In a sea of interesting Pokémon, a bouncing Magikarp was like a sore thumb.
"Thorne, what's going on here?"
Professor Oak frowned deeply as he watched Goh parade past with the fish Pokémon.
"How did a Magikarp end up among the camp-assigned Pokémon?"
The assistant beside him—Thorne—stiffened at the question.
"Uh… Professor," he began nervously, "a few days ago when I was doing a final check, I noticed one of the Nidoran was sick. Since we didn't have any other spare Pokémon in the lab, I, uh… went out to the stream near town and caught that Magikarp to make up the numbers."
"I… I didn't mention it earlier because you were so busy and I didn't want to bother you…"
Oak's usually calm face darkened immediately. "You WHAT?!"
"This entire batch was specially bred by the Pokémon League," he scolded, voice rising. "These Pokémon were chosen for their beginner-friendly temperaments and balanced levels—none of them should be wild captures!"
"And you went and caught a wild Magikarp on your own to fill in a gap?!"
Thorne shrank under the professor's rare outburst. Oak, still fuming, turned and chased after Goh.
"Wait—young man!" he called out.
Goh stopped in his tracks. "Yes, Professor Oak?"
He turned around, pretending to look mildly curious—though inside, his heart was racing with glee.
That display just now had worked.
He'd gotten Oak's attention!
Still cradling the Magikarp in his arms, Goh made a subtle show of it—tilting his arms just enough for the Professor to get a clear look, almost as if saying:
"Look, Professor Oak. See this special Magikarp? I'm the one who got it."
"I remember now—Goh, right?" Oak nodded. "So you're the one who received the Magikarp. I was just coming over to ask…"
"Would you like to exchange it for another Pokémon?"
"Magikarp isn't bad, per se," the Professor said, choosing his words carefully. "But it's not really combat-capable, and may not be suited for battling during the camp."
But Goh—already completely brainwashed by Ash's earlier speech—immediately shook his head.
No way.
From the way Oak was treating this Magikarp, it was just like Ash said—it was special!
And being the one who received it meant he was already under Oak's special watch.
So why would he give that up?
"Thank you, Professor Oak, but there's no need. Even though Magikarp technically isn't mine forever, it's still the partner assigned to me during this camp."
"And since fate brought it to me, there's no way I'm giving it up. Not only would that go against camp rules… it'd go against my own personal principles."
"That's why—I'm not trading this Magikarp. No matter what!"
Goh's tone was firm, filled with conviction.
Professor Oak blinked… then smiled.
"Good kid. I like your spirit. Since you're willing to accept Magikarp as your companion for these two weeks, I'll support your choice."
"I hope you two get along well—and I look forward to seeing you both shine in the coming camp activities. I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Truthfully, Oak was prepared to let Goh keep Magikarp either way. After all, the fish was harmless and barely knew anything beyond Splash.
But seeing Goh's attitude so strong and sincere… Oak was happy to play along.
Goh, of course, had no idea about that.
All he heard was: "Good kid," "outstanding performance," and "keeping an eye on you."
Those phrases hit him like thunderclaps of joy.
His goal—the Outstanding Camper title—felt suddenly within reach!
"Thank you, Professor Oak!" he exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.
"You're welcome," Oak chuckled.
Goh heard: "Good job, Goh! Take this Magikarp and become the most amazing Trainer in camp! One day, go on to reach the top with it!"
…..
Meanwhile, Ash had no idea about Goh's little victory fantasy.
After successfully blocking the Pokémon trade between Goh and Chloe, he'd turned his attention back to himself.
This summer camp consisted of 10 total assessment challenges.
Each challenge could earn a maximum of 10 points.
So at the end of camp, the maximum score was 100.
And Ash?
He was aiming for a perfect score.
If he wanted to become the top camper and earn the honor of being this year's Outstanding Camper, he had to dominate every challenge.
And now, the first challenge was about to begin:
The Pokémon Friendship Battle—a casual sparring match that served as both a way to get acquainted and to introduce oneself as a Trainer.
Ash, who had already received Froakie—his destiny-bound second partner—felt more confident than ever.
Still, he wasn't careless.
With 30 minutes of prep time before battles began, he immediately led Froakie to a quiet training spot near the edge of camp to get ready.
…
…
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T/N:
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