092: Team Rocket Sets Their Sights on Goh!!
After calling home and asking his mother, Delia, to register his online shop on the official Pokémon Alliance trading website for him, Ash's money-making plan was officially set into motion. At present, Delia was handling all the procedures for opening the shop, while Ash's immediate responsibilities at camp remained critical:
1.) Find wild Pokémon to copy their abilities using his newly discovered Psychic talents to record move data efficiently.
2.) Strive to secure first place in every assessment winning each evaluation conducted by Professor Oak, who had modeled the camp after the Indigo Plateau testing protocols.
3.) Strengthen his bond with Serena because a truly successful Trainer should achieve both career accomplishments and love.
During the two-week summer camp hosted at Professor Oak's Laboratory Grounds, Ash also needed to tackle several secondary objectives. These included subtly helping Goh (Xiaohao) who was still obsessed with capturing Mew and aiding Gary Oak and the others to achieve higher rankings in the evaluations, so that all his close friends could sweep the top three places together.
Although important, these were considered side quests compared to Ash's three main missions.
After setting his plans for the next day, Ash noticed Gary, Tierno, and Trevor still gossiping excitedly about his growing friendship with Serena. Smirking, he urged the three chatterboxes to call home and report their safety to their families.
Meanwhile, Ash, carrying his Bubble Frog (Froakie), headed to the bathroom for a quick shower together. Afterward, noting that it was already late, he tucked into bed early to ensure he would be refreshed for tomorrow's scheduled student assessment led by Professor Oak's assistant, Samson.
Now that the plan to earn money through the Alliance site had started early, Ash's desire to claim the title of "Excellent Student" burned stronger than ever.
This was critical because only by being honored as an Excellent Student at camp could he obtain a special provisional Trainer License from the Kanto Alliance, allowing him to officially own his Pokémon before reaching the standard debut age of 10.
If he succeeded, Froakie the destined partner he had received today would legally and truly become his.
The night passed without incident
Until the eastern horizon brightened and dawn's faint light crept over Pallet Town.
Woken by the alarm clock on Ash's bedside table, Bubble Frog remembered the instructions Ash had given before bed: "Wake me up no matter what."
Bubble Frog first poked Ash's nose gently with his tiny, moist fingers. When Ash merely rolled over and opened his mouth in his sleep, the little Froakie squinted mischievously.
Without hesitation, Bubble Frog leapt lightly onto Ash's chest and started hopping enthusiastically.
"Hhh... Hhh..." Ash, half-lost in a dream, suddenly felt as if a heavy ghost was pressing against his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
Drawing upon his strong survival instincts, honed even in his previous life, Ash seized an opportunity — forcing himself to wake up with a gasp for air. Heart pounding, he instinctively prepared to wrestle the "sleep paralysis ghost" he imagined was attacking him.
However, when his vision cleared, Ash saw that the terrifying "ghost" was nothing more than Bubble Frog, crouching innocently on his chest.
"Huff... Huff..." Still breathing heavily, Ash gave a weak chuckle.
"Good morning, Bubble Frog!" Ash said warmly, sitting up and patting Froakie gently.
As Ash got up from bed, Bubble Frog lightly hopped off his chest, landing at the edge of the bunk with a soft croak of acknowledgment.
Ash's strong obsession with going to bed early and waking up early had become a hallmark of his new discipline — a trait seen among many successful and Excellent Trainers, as noted by mentors like Professor Oak in previous evaluations.
Two mornings ago, in order not to oversleep and miss the official welcome ceremony for the Kalos region's exchange students and to avoid the humiliation of showing up to his own eventual Trainer debut at Oak's Laboratory wearing pajamas Ash had emphasized to Bubble Frog and his partner Pichu (currently staying under Delia's care) that if he failed to get up when the alarm clock rang at 6:30 a.m., they must wake him up by any necessary, even cruel, means.
After getting out of bed, Ash completed his routine: washing up, neatly dressing, and expertly folding the bedding all expected behaviors of an Excellent student at this highly competitive Pokémon summer camp.
Rather than disturb Gary, Tierno, and Trevor, who were still resting deeply, Ash quietly tiptoed out of the dorm, carefully closing the door behind him.
It was just before full dawn. The campgrounds lay silent, bathed in the pale light of early morning. No students could be seen, and most of the staff quarters appeared dark and still.
However, the camp was not truly deserted. At the cafeteria building, lights had already flickered on. Inside, three early-rising chefs were busy preparing breakfast for the 60+ students.
"Hey!! James, Meowth, look over there why is that kid up so early? Is he sleepwalking?" asked Jessie, a female chef in disguise with striking violet-red hair, peeking through the window.
"It's not sleepwalking~ Meow," replied Meowth, who had also donned a chef's uniform. "Ain't no one sleepwalkin' all tidy like that. He's wide awake."
"I know this kid," James said, adjusting his borrowed apron. "He's Ash Ketchum. The one who won five straight battles yesterday during the student exhibition match. Professor Oak has high hopes for him, labeling him top of the opening camp rankings."
Jessie narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"First place, huh? You know, with Team Rocket recruiting fresh blood recently, maybe we should consider inviting this brat to join. Recruits who bring good results get to meet the higher-ups."
James chuckled darkly. "You're dreaming. This kid's future is paved by Oak himself. You think someone with Excellent grades and Alliance recognition would join an 'evil organization' like us?"
"True, true..." Jessie sighed, her scheme momentarily deflated.
Still, the three were no fools. Unlike their future counterparts in the anime, the trio's current intelligence remained sharp in line with their depiction as Rocket elites in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
"But, Jessie, you gave me a great idea, meow~" Meowth grinned slyly. "Even if we can't pull in Ash, there are other students who ain't so hot."
"Like that kid who lost five straight battles yesterday the one who got a Magikarp as his starter?" James suggested.
"Right! Meow!" Meowth snapped his claws. "This camp's supposed to spot future League stars for the Alliance. If we snag a few underperformers early, the boss will be thrilled."
"Yeah, if we can recruit some of them to Team Rocket..." Jessie began.
"Promotion, salary hike, and maybe even Executive status!" the trio finished together, visions of success dancing in their heads.
Unknown to Ash, the supposedly secure Pokémon summer camp had already been infiltrated by Team Rocket operatives. And ironically, due to his innocent habit of waking up early to train, he had inadvertently inspired them to add a new mission: not just sabotage the students by targeting their Pokémon, but also secretly recruit young Trainers into Team Rocket's ranks.
If Ash were aware of this, he would definitely raise his guard.
Still, regarding the Rockets' plan to deceive Goh into their schemes, Ash's only thought would probably be: "Good job!!"
Ash had no intention of leaving the campgrounds. Instead, in order not to disturb anyone else, he made his way to the far end of the campus the same quiet area where he had helped Bubble Frog and Serena conduct training sessions yesterday.
Indeed, waking up so early was not a whim. Ash's goal was simple: early training for Bubble Frog.
At the student introduction meeting last evening, when asked about his hobbies, Ash had stepped confidently onto the stage and said his passions were training his Pokémon and exploring the natural habitats of wild Pokémon and he hadn't lied.
As a former Pokémon fan and a time-traveler in this life, Ash's love for Pokémon was deep, genuine, and unwavering.
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