"Splat!"
Two blobs of whipped-cream-like Frubbles struck Machop's legs—one in front, one behind. In an instant, the Fighting-type's feet were glued to the floor, and its charging momentum came to a screeching halt.
"Machop!"
Puff, caught off guard by Ash's move, stomped his foot anxiously and shouted in frustration.
But Ash didn't give him a chance to react. With Machop stuck in place, held down by Froakie's Frubbles, Ash seized the opening and launched his attack without hesitation.
"Froakie—use Bubble!"
"Pupupupu!"
Froakie puffed its cheeks and rapidly fired a barrage of thick, hollow water bubbles like a machine gun.
Boom! Pop! Splat!
"Raaaagh!!"
The water bullets exploded on contact, bursting against Machop's body. The pain forced a grimace from the little powerhouse.
"Machop! Come on, break free from the bubbles!"
Watching his Pokémon get pelted like a sitting target, Puff yelled with increasing desperation.
But the Frubbles was incredibly sticky. Even with all of Machop's raw strength, it was still like a Rattata caught in a glue trap—no way to escape.
"Froakie! Don't stop! Keep firing bubbles!"
Ash gave no room to breathe. As Machop struggled in vain to break loose, Froakie kept up its relentless assault.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
One after another, the reinforced bubbles flew like bullets. After taking three direct hits in a row, Machop collapsed, frustrated and humiliated.
From start to finish, it hadn't even touched Froakie.
The referee glanced seriously at the fainted Machop, then raised his hand like a blade and loudly declared:
"Machop is unable to battle! The winner is Froakie, trained by student Ash Ketchum!"
"Wooooah!! Froakie won again! That thing's crazy strong!"
"No, the strong one isn't Froakie—it's Ash, its Trainer. I never expected the frills around Froakie's neck to be that useful in a real battle."
"For real. That Frubbles is so sticky, it's almost on par with Bug-type moves like Sticky Web."
"Yeah, everyone's Pokémon are more or less on the same level, but Froakie's move gave Ash a serious edge. It's like having a built-in control move right out the gate."
"But it's not against the rules— Frubbles is Froakie's innate ability. Man, I'm jealous that Ash got such a talented Pokémon!"
"There's nothing to be jealous of. We all got Pokémon with similar strength levels. Froakie only looks amazing because Ash's Trainer level is insanely high.
"Hand Froakie to just anyone, and they probably couldn't even command it properly, let alone pull off a battle like that. Ash knew how to maximize its abilities and use the Frubbles in clever, creative ways."
If in the first round—when Ash defeated Gary—some campers still told themselves he just got lucky…
Then now, watching Ash command Froakie and completely shut down Puff's Machop—without even letting it land a hit—there were no excuses left.
Ash's true strength had earned the genuine respect and recognition of the entire training camp.
Some campers who weren't very familiar with Pokémon battles or didn't care about placing in the camp's top three were just watching for fun. But even they couldn't help but cheer as Ash's match ended.
They raised their hands and shouted things like:
"Ash is so cool!"
"Ash is a beast!"
"Froakie is incredible!"
Meanwhile, the campers who were aiming for the top three, the ones deeply invested in training and battling, saw far more than just a flashy win.
With arms folded, heads tilted, they broke into heated analysis and discussion, dissecting Ash's tactics with their like-minded companions.
No matter what kind of student they were—casual or competitive—after those two matches, everyone at the camp knew the name "Ash Ketchum."
And not just as a friendly peer.
As a rival.
A threat.
At the back of the battlefield sat a massive digital scoreboard—a sleek screen that resembled a flat-panel TV. It displayed the names of the participants in the order they registered.
Before the battles began, the names were simply listed with no rankings. But now, after two victories…
Ash's name, once at the bottom due to his late registration, jumped straight to the top.
With 4 points, he was now Rank 1.
Student Scoreboard
1st: Ash (4 points)
2nd: Gary, Puff (0 points)
….
"Wow, Ash is amazing! He knows so much about Pokémon, and he's super good at battling too!"
In a small group near the edge of the field, the cheerful girl Shauna, visiting from Kalos, clapped her hands excitedly.
"Of course he is," said Green, adjusting the cap on her head with a confident smile. "Ash is the king of the kids back in Pallet Town."
"Actually, Aunt Delia was against Ash becoming a Pokémon Trainer at first," she added, "but he never gave up on his dream."
"Unlike others, who chase different hobbies or dreams, Ash has always had only one goal—to become a Pokémon Master."
"He's always trained harder than the rest of us. So honestly, I'm not surprised he's this strong."
Green's house was right next door to Ash's. They'd grown up together, and she knew him better than most.
Hearing her speak, the others nodded along.
Even Serena, normally shy and soft-spoken, peered curiously from under her sunhat, her big teal eyes fixed on the boy who was now the center of everyone's attention.
Chloe, who usually never paid attention to boys other than her childhood friend Goh, was also buzzing with excitement, discussing Ash's performance with the group.
Only Goh stood off to the side—his eyes clouded with envy, maybe even jealousy, as he stared at Ash basking in the spotlight.
On the surface, the two had a decent relationship. Not quite best friends yet, but enough for six-year-olds to consider each other acquaintances.
Still, watching Ash get all the praise, Goh didn't feel happy.
He felt… bitter.
Like he wanted to stand in Ash's place.
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T/N:
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