"…, Shauna, and Tierno—we're all tied with you at ten points now, Ash!" Green said cheerfully, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
"Is that so?" Ash turned to look at the camp scoreboard built into the side wall. Sure enough, next to his na, there were now several more nas listed with the sa perfect score—Green, Shauna, Tierno, and a few unfamiliar ones.
The first assessnt of the camp was essentially a friendly warm-up—students facing off against each other in simple battles.
Most of them were complete beginners, handling Pokémon for the first ti in their lives, and it showed.
Calling them weak was being generous.
It was more accurate to say that most of them had no real combat ability at all.
Because of that, those with even a slight advantage in fundantals were able to string together victories fairly easily.
While they couldn't pull off sothing like Ash's five-straight-victories-against-elite-campers feat, they could still challenge weaker opponents, rest, then win again.
Ash didn't mind.
Even if the scoreboard said they were all tied, he knew better.
Not all tens were equal—and he was clearly at the top of the top.
"Still," Ash said sincerely, "I'm glad you guys caught up. If you were lagging behind, I'd be worried. Didn't I say from the start? The top three spots—we'll take them all."
He looked around at his friends with a proud smile.
But then, his eyes landed on Serena, and he suddenly smacked his forehead.
"Right! Serena hasn't done her battle challenge yet. It's ti for her to take the stage!"
"Oh, that's right!"
"Serena, you've got this! We'll be cheering for you!"
"We'll be right there at the sidelines, so don't be nervous!"
"Go get those five wins too, Serena—make Gary jealous!"
With Ash turning everyone's attention to her, Green, Shauna, and the others quickly joined in, hyping Serena up with their usual energy.
"Relax, everyone," Ash laughed. "Serena's not the sa girl she was an hour ago. After my training, she's stronger than you think!"
He turned to Serena, giving her a knowing wink.
"Isn't that right, Serena?"
"Mmhm!"
Serena nodded firmly. "I'm strong now! So don't underestimate , Green, Shauna!"
The self-assurance in her tone made even her childhood friends—Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor—stare at her in disbelief.
This was Serena. The girl who used to speak so softly you could barely hear her. The girl who would hide behind soone else rather than speak to a stranger.
Yet now, after just twenty minutes alone with Ash, she was standing tall, brimming with confidence.
Even Gary and Green were stunned by the change.
Neither of them could believe their eyes.
If only you could see her in the future… Ash chuckled silently to himself.
But there were more pressing things to do.
Clap clap—
Ash clapped his hands to get everyone focused again.
"Alright, ti to pick Serena's opponent so she can get her first battle underway."
"Right!"
"Let's do it!"
By this point, Ash had unintentionally beco the center of their group. Everyone naturally deferred to his lead.
"I saw soone earlier nad Mai," Green said, subtly pointing to a young girl on the far side of the field. "She's wearing a dress too, like Serena. And her Pokémon's not very strong."
"I think Mai's partner is a Rattata," Shauna added. "And I'm pretty sure it only knows Tackle and Tail Whip. She'd be a good first opponent for Serena."
"Too bad Goh got knocked out early," Gary muttered. "He would've made a great free win."
Ash chuckled.
"Don't worry about Goh. And like I said—Serena's no pushover anymore. You'll see."
"Serena," he turned toward her gently.
"Go challenge that girl—Mai—for your first match."
"I'll be right there with you," he added with a wink, hinting at the telepathic support he promised earlier.
"Okay!" Serena replied confidently.
Shauna offered to go with her, but Serena shook her head.
She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and silently cheered herself on.
Then—head high, heart steady—she walked through the crowd and made her way toward the girl on the other side of the field.
"U-um… Hello. Would you like to have a battle with ?"
She was still shy—but this ti, she didn't back down.
"You're…?"
"I'm Serena, from Vaniville Town in the Kalos Region," she introduced herself politely.
"May I battle with you and get to know you better?"
"A Kalos camper?"
Mai blinked, then smiled. "I'm Mai, from Pewter City in Kanto. It's nice to et you, Serena. And yes—I accept your challenge."
The two girls moved to the front of the spectator crowd.
The mont the current battle ended, they both ran onto the field, eager to take their places.
After reporting their nas to the staff acting as referees, they stood on opposite sides, waiting for the signal to begin.
anwhile—
"Goh, look! It's Serena—she's stepping into her first battle!"
From the crowd, Chloe called out excitedly. While most of the attention had been on the other matches, she had kept an eye on Serena the whole ti.
"Serena? That shy girl who always hangs out with Green and Shauna?"
Goh frowned. "She's so timid—how is she going to battle anyone?"
He crossed his arms, scoffing.
"She's probably going to lose. Chloe, you should challenge her next round—if she's going to lose anyway, better for her to give that win to a friend."
He looked toward the field with dismissive arrogance, unaware of the fire that had already been lit in Serena's heart.
...
...
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