"But Froakie is only a temporary Pokémon given to participants by the summer camp. It doesn't really belong to me yet.
Only after the camp ends—if I rank among the top three and earn the title of an Outstanding Camper—can I apply to Professor Oak to officially claim Froakie as my own."
Ash gently cradled Froakie in his arms and handed it over to Nurse Joy at the temporary Pokémon Center, while quietly thinking to himself.
He wasn't too worried about Professor Oak rejecting the application. After all, campers and their assigned Pokémon often form deep bonds during the summer camp. By the end of it, participants are allowed to apply for these Pokémon to become their official starters.
And if someone scores in the top three, earns the honor of "Outstanding Camper," and gets approval from the League, they're even permitted to officially own a Pokémon ahead of the usual timeline—sometimes even replacing their starter gift.
At that point, the camper can directly apply to have their summer camp Pokémon recognized as their first official partner.
Ash had come across this precedent while reading through records of past summer camps.
However, not many campers were actually willing to trade in their precious starter slot—usually reserved for one of the rare starters—for a camp-issued Pokémon.
Everyone knew beforehand: the Pokémon handed out at summer camp were just common species from the regular 107 list. They couldn't compare to the value of true starter Pokémon.
So in the end, it all came down to one goal: Place in the top three.
That was the only way Ash could ensure Froakie would become his.
Still, that goal was easier said than done.
He may have dominated the first assessment of the camp with an impressive five-win streak—easily soaring to the top of the leaderboard—but Professor Oak had prepared ten total challenges for the campers. And not all of them were standard battles.
There were all kinds of assessments ahead.
Even with the early lead, Ash wasn't completely confident he could hold on until the end.
But he wasn't about to give up, either.
When it came to battles, he was fearless.
And when it came to other tests—well, the competition was made up of six-year-old kids.
He didn't have 100% certainty, but he definitely wasn't losing sleep over it.
By the time Froakie was fully recovered, the training grounds outside were buzzing with excitement again.
A hundred campers had registered for this summer camp. Some had gone to the Kalos branch, but others from Kalos had been sent here as well.
Now that the camp had officially started, every camper was required to battle at least five different opponents. For Trainers, this was the most direct and effective way to gauge strength.
Ash and Froakie had stood alone at the center of the clearing like a duo from legends, crushing five challengers in a row. It was flashy. Dominant. Unforgettable.
But of course, not everyone could pull that off.
After Ash stepped down from the battlefield, the other campers quickly paired off, looking for their own sparring partners. Once a match ended, they'd immediately retreat to let Nurse Joy heal their Pokémon.
Even if their Pokémon still had energy left, no one dared attempt five matches in a row like Ash had.
They were more cautious, more rational.
But no matter how impressive their own battles were, no one could outshine the sheer spectacle Ash had just delivered.
His five-win streak had become the talk of the camp.
Victory or not, everyone else's matches just couldn't compare.
Still, as more and more campers engaged in battles, the entire forest camp grew louder and livelier.
A hundred voices, a hundred strategies.
It was a chaotic and vibrant competition—something even Ash hadn't quite experienced during his own battle.
"Let's gooo!"
"Come on, hit it!"
"Watch out for the counter!"
"Use Quick Attack!"
The cheers filled the air.
Weaving through the excited crowd, Ash used Aura Perception to navigate back to his little group. Froakie nestled comfortably in his arms.
"Hey, Green! You guys haven't battled yet?"
The cheers were loud, so Ash had to raise his voice when he called out to the group of friends who were currently spectating.
"Ash!!"
Green turned her head sharply when she heard his voice.
"So, how's everyone doing in terms of battle records?" Ash asked curiously as he rejoined them.
"Everyone except Serena has already gone up for at least one match," Green replied with a radiant smile.
"And the results?"
"The opponents weren't much of a challenge. So far, we've all won every match we participated in."
"Mhm!"
Ash wasn't surprised by that answer.
After all, Gary was Professor Oak's grandson. He had received early exposure to advanced Trainer knowledge since he was young.
His partner was a Fletchling—capable of flight. Even though he'd lost to Ash earlier, Gary's skills were undoubtedly among the top-tier of all campers.
As for Green… in the original Pokémon Adventures manga (FireRed/LeafGreen arc), she was a main character. She didn't need any explanation—her abilities as a Trainer were already established.
And then there were Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna—characters who played major roles in the Kalos saga. With strong Pokémon and plot importance backing them up, Ash had no doubt they'd outshine the generic background campers.
"Though… Goh's situation is a bit…"
Green trailed off, then suddenly winked at Ash with a mischievous smile.
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"What happened with Goh? And where's Chloe? I haven't seen either of them around."
He had a pretty good guess already based on Green's smug expression, but he played dumb.
"Goh's partner Pokémon… is a Magikarp."
Green barely held back a giggle.
"After you left, a bunch of campers started challenging him. Goh wanted to avoid battle at first—he was hoping to wait and do some friendly sparring with Chloe or the rest of us later, maybe settle for draws."
"But those kids taunted him, saying some pretty nasty stuff to rile him up. Goh couldn't take it—he ended up accepting all their challenges."
"As for the result? Well, I think you can guess."
"Goh's battle record is the exact opposite of yours—five straight losses.
He's a bit broken right now. Chloe went to comfort him."
Because Goh and Chloe weren't present, Green didn't hold back in the slightest.
Her tone was laced with pure, unfiltered glee at his misfortune.
…..
…..
Note:Get 50% off on all my Patreon tiers using the code 129E1.Join here: pa treon.com/pokepals
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals