After being brought back to camp, the students' excitement about the summer camp graduation ceremony had been completely crushed by the incident.
Even though the Pokémon they'd bonded with didn't officially belong to them—only temporarily assigned by the camp—it was still painful. After all, these Pokémon had been with them for two whole weeks, and most hadn't even had a proper farewell.
Fortunately, one small blessing remained—after the graduation ceremony, Ash and his group had gone straight to the camp's Pokémon Center to check in their Pokémon. So, their partners hadn't been stolen by Team Rocket.
There was nothing six-year-olds like them could do now about the rest. While everyone was deeply worried about the stolen Pokémon, under the patient guidance of Thorne and Miss Sophie, the students returned to the original scheduled activities—registering social accounts, joining the summer camp group chats, and taking photos with their roommates using their Rotom Drones.
They all tried to smile, to look like they were enjoying themselves. But it was clear—their smiles were strained, heavy with sadness.
Ash and his friends also stuck to the original plan. They went to the dining hall to make special Pokémon food for Froakie, Fletchling, Poliwag, and the rest.
After saying goodbye to their Pokémon companions, they joined the other students in taking group photos to remember the time they had shared.
Despite the unpleasant events, the camp had still been a joyful experience overall.
For Ash, this summer camp had been nothing short of extraordinary. He had ranked first overall, received special permission from the League to own his Pokémon early, and was even awarded a Starter Pokémon of his very own.
And not just any starter—it was Froakie, the very one destined to become his partner in the original timeline. Now imbued with the blessing of Kalos' fate, its potential ranked as [Purple – Supreme].
Even more impressively, during the camp, Ash had displayed not only his latent psychic powers, but also an exceptional gift as a Trainer. He had already caught the attention of the Kanto League.
Even his TM store—"Ash's Move Mastery Room"—was now a reality. On the very night he entered camp, his mother Delia had already helped him register the shop on the League's official trading platform.
By the next day, she had contacted a web design studio to begin working on the storefront. Now, the site was fully decorated and ready to go. Thanks to Professor Oak, even the exclusive League-only Poké Ball Transfer Machine had been installed—an advanced, portable model personally funded by the professor. Ash didn't spend a single Pokédollar.
And there was another unexpected stroke of luck. Originally, the camp was supposed to be closed off to the outside world. But due to Goh's involvement, Saffron TV had gotten access to livestream the entire event.
Ash had taken advantage of this opportunity to massively promote his TM store. Thanks to Goh's occasional antics, Ash's store had gained even more exposure.
Even though the shop hadn't officially launched, it already had over ninety thousand followers—just a few away from breaking the 100,000 milestone. Once Ash returned home tomorrow after camp, he wouldn't need to worry about having customers.
Back in camp, everyone was finishing up the usual post-camp activities—registering social accounts, saying goodbye to their Pokémon partners, and taking farewell pictures with one another.
Ash and his friends, whose Pokémon hadn't been stolen, were less affected. But they were careful not to show too much excitement out of respect for the others' feelings.
Still, even they couldn't avoid the heavy mood.
Farewells were coming.
Taking pictures with their Pokémon… hugging their friends… the thought of parting began to weigh on them. Kanto and Kalos were separated by great distances. It would take a full day by plane just to travel between them.
It was a miracle they had even met at all in this summer camp. From such distant lands, they had forged bonds that felt far deeper than those between peers from nearby cities.
In the hearts of those from Kalos, this farewell felt like a final goodbye—one where they might never see each other again.
And maybe… they were right.
Because of that innocent belief, the sorrow of parting only grew stronger.
"Ah, I almost forgot," Shauna suddenly stood up from her chair, a thought striking her. "Before the camp started, I stayed at your house, Green. Your mom and dad were so kind to me…"
"We're leaving tomorrow morning. I don't know if the bus will go straight to Saffron City or stop by Pallet Town, but I'd like to call your parents tonight and thank them again."
"I also saw an oven in the dining hall. I want to bake a cake and give it to them as a gift."
"Eh? I almost forgot too!" another girl chimed in.
"Shauna, could you teach me and Trevor how to bake too? We want to make a cake for Aunt Delia as well!"
"Me too!"
"I'll help!"
Their excitement over baking slightly lifted the heavy atmosphere of parting.
But one girl… remained silent.
She quietly tugged at Ash's sleeve, her small face flushed pink. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper:
"Ash… can I… can I take a few pictures with you? Just the two of us? For memories…"
Serena was just like how she was at the beginning of camp—shy, soft-spoken like a little mosquito.
"Of course," Ash smiled and agreed instantly.
And under the teasing hoots and cheers from the others, he gently took Serena's hand and walked with her outside.
The dining hall, the auditorium, the Pokémon Center, the busy camp plaza, the quiet forest trail beyond camp… they took photos everywhere. Photo after photo together.
But no matter how many they took, Serena's mood didn't improve. In fact, just as the camera was clicking—she suddenly threw herself into Ash's arms and her shoulders shaking.
"Chaaa…"
"It's okay, let it out. You'll feel better after a good cry," Ash murmured, gently hugging her, softly patting her back, speaking with warm reassurance.
After a while, when Serena's sobs had subsided and she'd released all her emotions, gently tipped her chin up so she had to meet his gaze. He gave her a small, reassuring smile.
Neither of them said what they were thinking.
They didn't need to.
Some goodbyes don't begin with words.
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