Excluding Chloe and Goh, a total of 98 students participated in today's Pokémon short film showcase.
At first, everyone was brimming with confidence. Nearly every student blindly believed their short film would blow the judges away and easily earn a perfect 10.
But the screening had only just begun, and already, Shohei's "The Clever Little Rattata" and Gary's "Aerial Speed Race" had left the entire room stunned.
Both films utilized a tool that most students hadn't even heard of—the thumb camera. Meanwhile, the majority had gone the more predictable route, like Shohei, using drone-Rotom for wide shots.
And just like that, their blind confidence evaporated.
In the face of those two high-quality shorts, many students realized a painful truth: their own films were absolute garbage.
What hit even harder was that Shohei's film only got a 9.0, and Gary's, which was even better, received just 9.5.
[If that didn't score a perfect 10, then what does a 10 even look like?]
And if 10 is perfection and 6 is the passing mark... would their messy, clumsy, poorly-made shorts even pass?
To be honest, it wasn't just the students who started to sweat. Even Ash was getting anxious.
"Oh no… Don't tell me I'm gonna bomb this short film challenge…" he muttered to himself, visibly uneasy.
But Ash was overthinking.
This was a summer camp for six-year-olds. Not everyone was a Gary Oak. If every kid here was that amazing, then being Professor Oak's grandson would lose all its prestige.
In fact, the reason Professor Oak showcased Shohei and Gary's shorts first was because today marked the first televised broadcast by Saffron TV covering the summer camp.
By leading with high-quality shorts, they could impress the Kanto audience and prevent viewers from thinking this batch of kids had no talent.
Even though Gary is his own grandson, Oak only gave him a 9.5—clearly proving that he was fair and unbiased. And this built anticipation in viewers' hearts: Could there be a film that actually earns a perfect 10?
As Oak expected, the audience at home watching the broadcast was buzzing with praise after those first two films.
"Wow! Kids these days are amazing! They can make shorts this good? And here I was reading online that Kanto has no real talent!"
"This is impressive! Sure, the drone-Rotom filming was handled by pros, and the editing was done by the Saffron crew, but the story and concept were created entirely by the kids."
"The first one shown was by my son—I'm so proud I could cry!"
"I'll be real. I couldn't make something this good myself."
"Hey, wasn't that second short made by Professor Oak's grandson? It was incredible, and it only scored 9.5? Then what kind of masterpiece would earn a perfect 10?"
"To be honest, the one I'm most looking forward to is Ash's short film."
"Same here. I know filmmaking has nothing to do with battle strength or Trainer skill, but I just feel like Ash is gonna surprise us."
Those first two shorts had sparked a wildfire of excitement.
But then reality hit.
As more and more films were screened, viewers got a crash course in the cruelty of contrast.
After all, these were just six-year-old kids. Not everyone was born to be a storyteller. And with nearly a hundred participants, quality varied drastically.
...2 shorts...
...20 shorts...
...50... 90...
With each new film, the audience's hopes plummeted.
Some shorts were so abstract, they felt like experimental art installations—completely incomprehensible. Others had logic so bizarre they were laughable.
And a few were just painfully awkward—like kids playing house with their Pokémon, acting out nonsense like it was serious cinema. Secondhand embarrassment hit hard.
To avoid completely losing the audience, Professor Oak wisely interspersed a high-quality short after every ten or so flops, giving people a "visual cleanse."
Thanks to Shauna's training and prior experience in making Pokémon performance shorts, her little friend group—including Ash—produced some truly stunning entries:
Gary × Fletchling:"Aerial Speed Race" – 9.5
Green × Dedenne:"Adorable Dedenne" – 9.4
Shauna × Butterfree:"Garden and the Butterfly's Dance" – 9.8
Serena × Clefairy:"Clefairy and Pofflé" – 9.6
Trevor × Sandshrew:"Shutter Shots in the Wild" – 9.2
Tierno × Poliwag:"Sweat-Filled Rhythm Dance" – 9.4
Even outside Ash's group, a few other students delivered surprise hits:
Jeanette Fisher × Bellsprout:"Searching for the Forest's Secret Garden" – 9.5
Omi × Psyduck:"Psyduck Watching the Sunset Alone" – 9.5
In total, while some films managed to impress, the sheer volume of awkward, cringeworthy entries left viewers drained.
Honestly, if it weren't for the collective anticipation of Ash's short, many would've already turned off their TVs.
…
And as for Ash?
He wasn't feeling so great either.
Watching his friends produce masterpiece after masterpiece had rattled his confidence.
He'd filmed his entry "Fishing" at Little Rock Spring… but now? He wasn't sure it would hold up.
Only four events had passed in the summer camp so far. If he lost his lead now, other students could easily catch up and pass him.
That thought alone made Ash break into a nervous sweat.
…
"Alright!" Professor Oak's voice rang out from the stage. "That makes 97 short films shown. Only one left!"
"Who do you think it is?"
"ASH!!"
"ASH!!"
"ASH!!"
The whole auditorium shouted in unison.
Clearly, it wasn't just the viewers at home who were eager—every single student in the hall was excited to see what Ash had made.
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