"Hey hey! Pardon the interruption!"
Three chefs, who had just finished preparing ingredients for the evening's campfire party and the next day's breakfast, emerged from the kitchen area. They were pushing a small trolley packed with baskets of food.
When they spotted a few summer camp students walking by, they immediately changed direction and trotted over with enthusiastic smiles.
"Ah! It's the chefs!"
Two students walking together looked pleasantly surprised and waved at them.
Jessie, wearing a bright smile, said, "Congratulations on graduating from summer camp!"
"Thank you!"
"It's all thanks to you preparing such delicious meals every day! We're really grateful to all of you, Chef!" the two students politely responded.
"Haha~ hearing that makes me so happy!"
The blue-haired chef scratched the back of his head with a proud grin, clearly enjoying the praise.
"So… is something up?" one of the students asked curiously.
"Ah yes, you see," began the shorter chef, "now that camp has ended, Professor Oak asked us to help with one final task—before your Pokémon say goodbye to everyone, we want to make sure they're happy and healthy, so we're collecting them now for a quick health check."
"Oh, I see. We were just about to head to the Pokémon Center," one student said.
Jessie, James, and Meowth's excuse was flimsy at best. But after two full weeks of cooking meals and gaining everyone's trust, the students didn't suspect a thing.
"Ah! Nurse Joy is actually busy at the moment," Jessie added, lifting her chin proudly. "But don't worry—I have a certified Pokémon Nurse license!"
Student E's eyes widened. "Really?! You're both a chef and a nurse? That's incredible!"
Student F was amazed. "That's so cool!!"
"Hehe~ of course it is," Jessie beamed, clearly basking in their admiration.
"In that case, we'll leave the health check to you, Chef," the students said, smiling as they handed over their Poké Balls.
James nodded. "Please place your Poké Balls in the basket. In about thirty minutes, we'll return them to you at the Pokémon Center."
"Bye bye~" Jessie waved.
"See ya later nya" Meowth added with a cheeky grin.
—
Meanwhile, Ash had returned from the camp auditorium with his Outstanding Camper Medal and placed it safely in his cabin. Afterward, he and the others headed for the Pokémon Center.
They planned to register their social media accounts and join the official summer camp group chat created by Tierno.
Now with new Pokémon partners in hand, Ash instinctively activated his system to scan their data and copy their skills.
[Pokémon: Fennekin]
Level: 5
Type: Fire
Nature: Shy
Ability: Blaze (Hidden Ability: Magician)
Pokémon Potential Classification: Red (Elite)
Skills:
[Skilled]: Scratch, Ember
[Novice]: Tail Whip
[Pokémon: Squirtle]
Level: 5
Type: Water
Nature: Playful
Ability: Torrent (Hidden Ability: Rain Dish)
Pokémon Potential Classification: Red (Elite)
Skills:
[Skilled]: Tackle, Water Gun
[Novice]: Tail Whip
—
The official starter Pokémon handed out by the League were all still LV.5, but unlike the ones given temporarily during camp, these were the real deal.
Serena and the others received fully bonded starter Pokémon. Each one had Elite-tier potential—and not just any Elite, but the top echelon within the Red tier, as expected from official starters.
Of course, none of them could compare to Ash's Froakie…
"Chosen by the fate of Kalos. Destined to save the region in a future catastrophic crisis."
Still, these new starters were more than capable of becoming powerful teammates in the long run. Investing resources into raising them would never be a waste.
—
"All done! I've registered everyone's social media accounts and added you all to the camper group chat!" Tierno announced while typing away at a computer.
"Even though we'll part ways tomorrow, I know we'll stay connected. The friendships we've made at this camp—those are for life."
Ash didn't need help. He had a computer at home, and ever since arriving in this world, he'd been preparing in advance. Before camp even started, he had already registered for most online platforms.
"Now that everything's set, let's head out and take a group photo!"
"Oh, and here's my suggestion—how about we all cook a final meal ourselves? One last treat for our Pokémon friends who stood by us during camp!"
"Yeah!"
Everyone eagerly agreed with big smiles.
—
"Hello, Nurse Joy! We're here to pick up our Pokémon—"
"Eh? You didn't drop them off at the Pokémon Center earlier," Nurse Joy replied, looking puzzled.
"Huh? But… didn't Professor Oak ask the chefs to collect our Pokémon for health checks and tell us to come here in thirty minutes?" the student asked, now clearly confused.
Joy's brow furrowed. "No, we never gave any such order. Health checks are only performed after you've said your farewells and recalled your Pokémon."
"And we definitely didn't ask the chefs for help."
—
As two students stood there stunned, more and more campers arrived at the Pokémon Center, all asking for their Pokémon.
But every single one received the same answer:
There had been no order to collect Pokémon early.
And no one had asked the chefs to perform health checks.
—
"Ash, what the heck is going on?"
Tierno and the others had just reached the Center's entrance when they saw the scene.
Ash's gaze sharpened.
"Something's wrong. Those three chefs… their identities don't add up."
Though those chefs had cooked nutritious and tasty meals throughout the camp—and Ash had genuinely been grateful—this was different.
This was about Pokémon.
Ash furrowed his brow, analyzing the situation with laser focus.
And then it clicked.
"They're not real chefs," he muttered coldly.
Something was very, very wrong.
--------------
T/N:
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