After finishing the interview, Yoko finally left with the TV crew, and Ash had successfully taken the chance to advertise his move-learning online shop.
Once things settled down, Ash took Froakie outside the camp to a secluded spot for some private training.
In Froakie's move pool, aside from Lick, the Rain Dance it learned during today's short film shoot was still at the [Unskilled] stage.
The short films were still being edited and processed in post-production, with final screenings and judging scheduled for the evening.
In the meantime, Ash made use of the free hours to help Froakie practice, working to improve its move proficiency bit by bit.
…
[Pokémon: Froakie]
Level: 14 (72/88)
Type: Water
Nature: Serious
Abilities: Torrent | (Hidden: Protean | Ethereal-Gifted: Bonded Evolution)
Potential: [Purple] (Supreme)
[Fated by Kalos' destiny; chosen to save the region during its future cataclysm.]
Moves (Copyable):
[Mastered]: Pound (37/1000), Bubble (36/1000)
[Skilled]: Growl (23/500), Quick Attack (12/500), Aqua Ring (4/500), Water Pulse (16/500), Lick (9/500), Rain Dance (2/500)
….
The sun sank slowly below the horizon. Evening fog began to gather over the hills, dyeing the mountain valley camp in a smoky haze of twilight. The soft gold of sunset faded into deep indigo.
Even though the camp had help from drone-Rotom for filming and Saffron TV's crew for editing, most of the campers had spent the whole day busy shooting their Pokémon short films.
By 6 p.m., with dinner finished, all the students gathered in the main hall, ready to view the day's final creations.
"Alright, everyone!" came a voice from the stage.
"It's been a long day of hard work filming your Pokémon shorts, but I believe each of you gave it your all and produced something wonderful!"
"Let's now take a look at your masterpieces!"
Professor Oak clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the buzzing students down below.
"Let's begin with our first short film," he continued, "a work by Camper Shohei titled 'The Clever Little Rattata'!"
The lights dimmed. The hall quieted. The first screening began.
Ash originally thought the film would be something simple based on the title.
But once it started playing… he realized he had completely underestimated it.
The student who shot this must've really known their tech. They didn't use drone-Rotom at all. Instead, they requested a thumb camera from the staff.
The tiny camera was strapped to the back of a small Rattata, recording its journey through tall grass from a first-person view!
The whole short film was experienced through the eyes of Rattata itself.
As it scurried through the dense underbrush, we heard the trainer narrating the thrilling moment when Rattata encountered an Ekans and had to make a daring escape.
The perspective was so unique. When Ekans lunged at Rattata, the POV made it feel like you were the one being hunted. The immersive tension was intense!
The Rattata must've had the [Run Away] ability too, because in the end, it did manage to escape.
First-person angle. High-stakes chase. Clean narration. And it really brought out Rattata's quick-thinking and agility—just as the title promised.
This student wasn't even in the top ten of the current rankings, and Ash had never paid them much attention before.
At first, he barely cared while watching the film.
But by the end, he was genuinely impressed—and clapped sincerely.
It was a fantastic short film. One that shook off Ash's lingering sense of superiority and reminded him: [Never underestimate anyone.]
"Just because someone isn't great at battling… doesn't mean they aren't brilliant in other areas," Ash thought as he joined in the applause.
At that moment, Professor Oak gave his rating:
"A very well-done short film. I'm giving this a score of 9 out of 10."
"Whoa!"
Clap clap clap clap…!
The entire hall burst into applause.
Interestingly though, the student who shot the film didn't look particularly thrilled. In fact, they frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the score.
They had clearly expected a perfect 10 for what they felt was a masterpiece.
Still, Professor Oak was widely respected for being fair and impartial. So, even if the student wasn't happy with the 9, they didn't complain.
Instead, they decided to wait.
"If the later films score higher than mine and aren't as good," the student thought, "then I'll raise my objection."
But kicking things off with a 9? That immediately put pressure on everyone else.
Even Gary, sitting right beside Ash, looked visibly tense.
"What's with that face?" Ash asked. "Feeling like your short film isn't as good?"
"…"
"…It's just…" Gary finally said, "I used a thumb camera for some of my scenes too. I didn't think anyone else would be smart enough to do that."
"I'm worried my film might get docked for not being unique enough now."
Ash blinked. "Wait, what?! Why are you guys all such tech nerds?"
"Wasn't drone-Rotom already cool enough? Who thinks of thumb cameras and first-person shots?"
"My film was just one continuous shot with drone-Rotom—no cuts, no breaks. I was so confident in it earlier…"
"…Now I'm worried even getting an 8 will be tough."
Ash let out a heavy sigh.
His pressure level just went through the roof.
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T/N:
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