"Clefairy, use Disarming Voice on Squirtle!"
With Charmander already taken down, Serena wasted no time shifting her focus. Her next target was now the dazed and love-struck Squirtle.
"Pii~!!"
Though Clefairy wasn't technically Serena's own Pokémon, Ash hadn't taught it many advanced moves during the camp. Still, Disarming Voice alone was more than enough to carry it through most summer camp battles.
At the moment, Squirtle was still trapped in a charmed state, not yet snapped out of it—and Clefairy was already launching another wave of that soothingly lethal melody. Okazaki was starting to panic.
"Squirtle! Snap out of it!" he shouted, his voice tight with urgency.
"Pii~!!"
"Squiiiiiirt—!"
Struck by the move a second time, and spurred on by his Trainer's desperate cries, Squirtle finally shook off the charm's hold and regained clarity.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!!" Okazaki commanded at once.
But Ash was already two steps ahead.
"Froakie—use Frubbles!"
Though Squirtle had recovered, Okazaki seemed to forget this was now a 1v2.
Ash, with his ever-sharp instincts, saw Squirtle regain consciousness and immediately gave Froakie its order.
PLOP!
Froakie leapt forward, grabbing two sticky globs of Frubbles and hurled them directly at Squirtle.
Before Squirtle could even react, one stuck to its face and the other to its feet—locking it in place like a living statue.
"Clefairy, use Disarming Voice again!" Serena didn't risk Clefairy getting close; she played it smart—keeping Clefairy at a safe distance while launching ranged support.
"Froakie, finish it! Use Water Pulse!!" Ash saw the end in sight and gave the kill command with no hesitation.
Squirtle was locked down and unable to dodge. Okazaki clenched his fists—there was nothing he could do. His Pokémon was immobilized, and he was outnumbered. No counters. No hope.
Deep down, he already knew the truth: this match was lost.
But giving up? That wasn't an option.
"Squirtle, use Withdraw! At least try to defend yourself!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BOOM!
Squirtle may have been bulkier than the likes of Rattata or Oddish, but it still wasn't a Wartortle, let alone a Blastoise. The defense boost from Withdraw barely helped.
Wave after wave of attacks from Clefairy and Froakie rained down until—
Squirtle collapsed.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've defeated LV.8 Squirtle. Gained +120 EXP]
"Charmander and Squirtle are both unable to battle. The winners are Ash and Serena." Professor Oak's voice echoed confidently as he announced the result.
WHOOOSH!
Just as the match ended, a brilliant white light began to glow from Froakie's body.
It had happened once before—during their first match win—but this time the light was far more intense, radiant even. The whole field lit up.
The campers watching were awestruck, and Professor Oak quickly explained: "That's the sign of evolution!"
Once again, Froakie was on the brink of evolving.
The white glow lasted longer this time… but faded.
Froakie did not evolve.
"Still no evolution?" Ash murmured to himself, unsure whether to be pleased or disappointed.
If Froakie had evolved, of course he'd be thrilled.
But the fact that it hadn't yet… wasn't exactly bad either.
After all, the stronger a Pokémon's potential, the longer it takes to evolve.
That's just how it is.
…
Ash & Serena vs. Steven & Erwin
Ash & Serena vs. Ikeda & Naruhiko
Ash & Serena vs. Mikki & Kenji
Ash & Serena vs. Takagi & Maho
Ash & Serena vs. Okazaki & Keisuke
With five wins in five battles, Ash and Serena had swept the final day's summer camp challenge.
The tenth assessment activity was complete—and both of them earned full marks: 10 points.
…
"Man, Ash is ridiculously strong. Compared to when camp started, he's improved so much."
"Totally. Same-level Pokémon—his Froakie was just LV.5—but in two weeks, he's pushed it so far it's nearly evolved! No wonder he's aiming to be the strongest Trainer in the world."
"I used to be kinda bitter about it, but honestly? If he really does become the world's greatest Trainer someday, it'll be an honor just to say we were in the same camp."
"Yeah, true."
"But wait—why are all of you only talking about Ash? This was a double battle! Serena did great too! And she's super pretty!"
"Hey now, keep your crush to yourself. Serena's already taken."
"What?! Who? Who stole my goddess?!"
"Bro, where've you been? Everyone here knows Serena likes Ash. And he totally likes her back. They've been going on little dates this whole time!"
"…WHAT?!"
…
As the gossip swirled, the campers' attention gradually shifted from Ash's skills to Ash and Serena's relationship.
"...Ash."
Serena's voice was barely a whisper, her cheeks glowing scarlet from the whispers she overheard.
"Hm? What is it, Serena?" Ash turned toward her. "Your face is really red. Are you feeling sick? Did you catch a cold or something?"
Genuinely concerned, Ash pressed the back of his hand against her forehead, then compared it to his own.
"You're not running a fever..." he mumbled. "Still, let's get Froakie and Clefairy over to the Pokémon Center first."
"After that, I'll walk you back to the cabin. Make sure you drink some cold medicine and get a proper rest. This summer camp's been non-stop—it's natural to be a little exhausted."
"I'm fine… really." Serena turned away, flustered, still pink in the cheeks.
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T/N:
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