The short film contest had come to a close.
Ash once again scored a perfect 10 out of 10.
He was honestly surprised by it.
And he wasn't the only one—most of the other campers were equally stunned.
Sure, they all respected Ash's strength, but strength alone doesn't mean you can create a high-quality short film—let alone a perfect one.
However, after watching Little Stone Spring: Fishing, every one of them had to admit it—Ash deserved it. Completely. That short was flawless.
His second perfect score in a row was seen by everyone (well, everyone except a certain hospitalized boy in Viridian City) as a no-brainer. There wasn't a trace of jealousy among the campers this time.
In just a few days, Ash had won everyone over—not just with his battle skills, but also his genuine, kind, and helpful personality.
When the summer camp first began, a lot of the trainees had their eyes set on the title of "Outstanding Camper" or a top-three placement. Back then, Ash was seen as their biggest threat—the one to beat.
But now? That flame of competition had quietly burned out in their hearts.
The camp had a total of ten evaluation events. So far, four had been completed—nearly half.
And yet… most of them barely had 20 to 30 points.
Ash?
A full 40 points.
Every event. Perfect scores.
At this rate, catching up felt hopeless.
Besides, it was hard to compete with someone who had both talent and work ethic.
Someone who woke up at 6:30 a.m. every morning to help his Pokémon train.
They were no match.
Trainee Scoreboard – Total Rankings
1st: Ash – 40 points
2nd: Shauna – 38.8 points
3rd: Serena – 38.6 points
4th (tie): Green, Tierno – 38.4 points
5th: Gary – 36.5 points
6th: Trevor – 36.2 points
7th: Jeanette Fisher – 35.5 points
…
As the short film contest ended, the trainees filed out of the auditorium in an orderly fashion.
Ash glanced one last time at the leaderboard glowing on the wall—his name at the top, 40 points.
And the next five spots?
All members of their little group.
It was an impressive score, no doubt—but Ash wasn't satisfied.
Why?
Because earning a top-three score doesn't automatically mean you'll be named an "Outstanding Camper."
Sure, being in the top three guarantees that you'll be awarded that honor…
But the reverse isn't always true.
Even campers outside the top three, if they performed excellently during the camp and had scores close to the leaders, could also be selected as Outstanding Campers.
And being named Outstanding means one thing:
You're allowed to own your first Pokémon early—granted officially by the League—and receive a free Starter.
But Ash thought to himself—
"Rather than gamble on being selected... better to take the top three slot directly."
He glanced around at Serena and the others.
"Looks like in the upcoming events, I might have to slow them down a little—make sure they don't accidentally slip out of the top ranks."
With that thought, Ash quietly followed the stream of students out of the hall.
…
A deep blue night had fallen.
No one could tell whether it rose from the earth or descended from the heavens. The stars, valleys, forest, and cabins all seemed to blend into one.
Time passed quickly.
Two weeks had gone by in a flash.
The summer camp had been scheduled to last exactly two weeks, and now…
It was the final day.
In the past 14 days, nearly every day had been packed with an evaluation event:
Day 1: Opening Challenge Tournament
Day 2: Fishing Contest + Forest Fear Test
Day 3: Pokémon Short Film Creation
Day 4: Wild Pokémon Observation + Written Report
Day 5: Team Cooking Challenge
Day 6: Pokémon Cross-Country Race
Day 7: Triathlon of Sweat and Endurance
Day 8: The Little Performers' Stage
Day 9: Pokémon Food-Making Workshop
Day 10: …?
Across all these, Ash had done the unthinkable:
Nine events. Nine perfect scores.
Even Gary and the others, with Ash's help through strategic "score control," had managed to climb into the top rankings.
As for Goh and Chloe, both had been absent—still stuck in Viridian City Hospital.
Originally, Chloe was assigned to share a cabin with Green and could've become close friends with her. But her absence during the entire camp meant she was gradually forgotten.
Jeanette Fisher, however—though in a different cabin—had frequently teamed up with Tierno for group tasks, and through this, built a strong bond with Ash's circle.
Her scores had been consistently strong too. And now, with the others safely in the top three, she had jumped up to fourth place.
…
During the camp, two somewhat notable incidents had also occurred.
Though only Saffron City TV Station had been officially allowed media access to the camp, other outlets were hungry for a scoop.
So they shifted their focus—to Goh and Chloe, hospitalized in Viridian.
Reporters began visiting them constantly.
Chloe, utterly annoyed, refused interviews after the first one.
But Goh?
He loved the attention.
He relished every interview, every camera, every spotlight.
And during one such interview with a small Cerulean City tabloid, when asked about Ash—the so-called prodigy tearing through the camp events—Goh responded with a "harmless" smile and a casual shrug:
"Oh, I've heard from some campers that Ash's Froakie was actually handpicked by Professor Oak himself... Apparently it's a bit stronger than the other Pokémon given out this year."
"Of course, that's just what I heard... Haha. I don't know if it's true or not." (innocent head scratch, pure smile)
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