"Froakie—finish it off! Use Bubble!"
"Froa!!"
The moment Ash gave the command, Froakie moved with blinding speed—puckering its lips, locking on target, and firing in a rapid blur.
"Froa! Froa! Froa!"
Venonat, still covered in sticky Frubbles, flailed helplessly. Its vision was completely blocked. It tried to dodge but could only spin in confusion.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Veeeenaaa—!"
After taking two consecutive hits from Froakie's bubbles, Venonat finally collapsed, completely drained of strength.
Just like Machop before it, it hadn't even managed to touch Froakie once.
"Venonat is unable to battle! The winner is Froakie, trained by student Ash Ketchum!"
The referee raised his hand decisively, officially declaring the match over.
"Good work, Venonat. Come back and rest."
Rento sighed as he recalled his Pokémon. Losing stung, sure—but he was still a kid. At that age, disappointment and joy both came and went quickly.
Besides, everyone knew the Pokémon they'd been given by Professor Oak's lab were about the same strength.
Victory or defeat depended almost entirely on the Trainer's command and strategy.
And in this battle, Ash's quick thinking and adaptability had clearly outclassed him.
"You and your Froakie are amazing," Rento said sincerely, walking over with a smile. "I can't believe how well you two work together—it's hard to imagine you just got Froakie today."
Ash returned the smile, his eyes warm. "Thanks. You and Venonat fought really well too. I'll be looking forward to our next match."
He reached out and shook the boy's hand—firm, polite, and respectful.
"Small… small—!"
"Go, Ash!"
The campers erupted into applause. Watching Ash stand in the center of the field, still humble even after another win, filled the air with excitement.
The battle segment was originally meant to be simple: campers would pick their own opponents, fight one-on-one, and then rest their Pokémon at Nurse Joy's temporary Pokémon Center before continuing.
But what was supposed to be a rotation of individual matches…
had turned into a one-man gauntlet.
Everyone else fought once, took a break.
Ash?
He stayed on the field—three matches in a row, no rest, no hesitation.
…..
"Three straight wins already… I didn't expect that kid Ash to be this strong."
"Tch, and it looks like he's not even done yet. Is he planning to keep challenging people?"
"That's kinda reckless, isn't it? The Pokémon we got from Professor Oak are all just around Level 5. Froakie's already fought three rounds—it's gotta be running out of stamina."
"Yeah, maybe Ash's pride is getting to his head. Winning too much can do that."
"Still… if anyone manages to end Ash and Froakie's streak, they'll instantly become the talk of the whole camp!"
…..
Despite Ash's impressive three-match streak, his dominance didn't scare off the others.
On the contrary, it ignited their ambition.
Every competitive student who dreamt of being one of the Top 3 Camp Champions suddenly saw an opportunity—to defeat the rising star and make their name known.
...
"Green, do you think Ash's planning to battle all five matches in a row?"
Shauna turned toward her friend, voice tinged with both admiration and concern as she looked at the dark-haired boy standing tall in the center of the field.
"That sounds exactly like something Ash would do," Green replied with a sigh. "But if he keeps pushing like this, Froakie's stamina might not hold up. He's being a little reckless."
Her words carried worry, genuine and sisterly.
But beside them, the boys—Gary and the others—seemed unfazed.
"Relax," Gary said confidently. "Ash may act impulsive, but he's not stupid."
"Look closely—Froakie barely moved during any of the battles. It just crouched there, attacking from a fixed spot to save energy."
"Yeah," another camper added, "If Ash's still ready for more, that means Froakie's got plenty of strength left. I don't know about five more fights, but it could definitely go another ten."
Gary grinned. "Trust me. Ash knows exactly what he's doing."
Green exhaled softly and nodded. "Let's hope you're right."
The small group watched anxiously as Ash stood at the center of the battlefield, all eyes drawn to him.
But none were more nervous than Serena.
Her hands clutched the hem of her pink dress tightly, her heart racing as she looked at the radiant boy under the sunlight—the boy who seemed to shine brighter than anyone else.
Her lips moved in a whisper only she could hear:
"Go for it, Ash… you can do it."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You defeated LV.5 Venonat and gained 50 EXP.]
"Hm? That's it? Froakie didn't level up?"
Ash ignored the outside chatter, his focus fixed on the Ascension Trainer System panel before him.
Just like before, defeating Venonat had earned another 50 experience points. But this time, Froakie hadn't leveled up immediately.
[Pokémon: Froakie]
Level: 7 (50/78)
Type: Water
Nature: Serious
Abilities: Torrent (Hidden: Protean, Ethereal-Gifted Ability: Bond Evolution)
Stats:
· HP: 41
· Attack: 56
· Defense: 40
· Sp. Atk: 62
· Sp. Def: 44
· Speed: 71
· Total: 314
Potential: [Purple] "Chosen by the fate of the Kalos Region—destined to rise as its savior in the face of an impending crisis."
Skills (Copyable):
· [Proficient]: Pound, Bubble (36/1000)
· [Skilled]: Growl (23/500)
· [Novice]: Aqua Ring (1/100)
"Looks like as Froakie levels up, it needs a lot more experience now."
Ash murmured softly to himself, eyes flickering with resolve as he studied the floating progress bar—(50/78).
"But we're only 28 points away from the next level. One more win and Froakie should level up again."
He paused, his lips curving into a grin.
"And if I remember right… Froakie learns that move at Level 8."
A spark of excitement flashed in his eyes. Whatever that move was—it was something he had been waiting for.
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T/N:
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