Ash gave a dry chuckle and said, "Honestly, Doctor, with your credentials, I think the Alliance should assign you a full-time chef. That way you wouldn't have to keep cooking instant noodles using lab equipment."
It was true. With Professor Oak's status in the Pokémon world, anything he asked for — no matter how rare — would be delivered instantly. As for items like the Mega Evolution keystone or other rare materials, Ash had already lent him one for research. It wasn't even Oak's main field of study, and the one Ash provided was more than enough for basic research.
"Cough, cough… I only do that on rare occasions. You know, like… a billion times," Professor Oak replied with an awkward laugh.
Just then, a voice drifted in from the hallway.
"Gramps, I don't think Ash has shown up yet~"
A boy with messy spiked hair walked in, yawning, clearly still half-asleep.
"???"
Ash stared at him in disbelief.
He was literally standing right there — a full-grown human being — and Gary couldn't see him?
With a sigh, Ash said, "Gary, I've been standing here the whole time. You're the one who's late!"
"Huh?! Ash? What are you doing here?"
Ash raised an eyebrow. "I'm your grandpa's assistant. Why do you think I'm here?"
"Ugh! There you go again, showing off with your assistant badge. So annoying!" Gary grumbled, equal parts frustrated and defeated.
Ash smirked. "And here I thought you'd outgrown that childish temper."
Ash spread his hands in mock surrender. "What can I say?" he said with a sigh, as if helpless.
"You—!" Gary growled, ready to explode again.
But before things could escalate, Professor Oak stepped in with a calm smile.
"All right, that's enough from both of you. The Summer Camp is about to begin. Keep your spirits up — you'll be meeting lots of new friends today. It wouldn't be very welcoming if the first thing they hear is you two bickering."
Honestly, Professor Oak often found himself puzzled by these two. No matter when or where they met, they always found a reason to argue. Were their personalities just naturally incompatible? Or were they deliberately doing this for fun?
Ash, ever the performer, put on a lofty expression. "Gary, as the more mature party here, I'll be the bigger man. I forgive you... just this once."
He gave a smug little nod as if granting royal mercy.
Truthfully, Ash didn't dislike Gary. But Gary's attitude left a lot to be desired. Most of the other assistants at the lab treated him with deference — not because of merit, but because he was Professor Oak's grandson. Add to that the way his family spoiled him, and it was no wonder Gary had grown into an arrogant showoff.
Ash remembered all too well how Gary had crashed out of the Indigo Plateau Conference in the original timeline. Overconfident, underprepared, using his second-string team to toy with opponents... and then losing before even reaching the Top 16. Sure, for most rookie Trainers, finishing in the Top 32 would've been impressive.
But Gary wasn't just any Trainer.
He was the grandson of Kanto's very first Champion. A disappointing result like that, and if his grandfather had been more strict, Gary might've found himself tied to a tree for some good old-fashioned "discipline."
"What did you just say?" Gary snapped.
Here we go again.
Professor Oak felt a headache coming on. These two were exhausting.
"All right, enough banter. It's getting late," he interrupted. "The other kids should be arriving by now. Let's head to the camp."
As always, the Summer Camp was being held at the outskirts of Viridian Forest, a decent walk from the lab but a familiar and scenic location for first-time Trainers.
As they left the research institute, Professor Oak glanced at the two still locked in playful rivalry and sighed inwardly.
"I really hope no more troublemakers show up this year…"
"Summer Camp, get ready! The future most, most, most powerful Pokémon Master, Goh, has arrived!"
A dark-skinned boy with a gray T-shirt and a truly unfortunate hairstyle leaped out of the car, shouting at the top of his lungs like he was entering a championship arena.
That's right — it was the infamous One-Ball Wonder himself.
Goh.
(A group of bystanders, including Growlithe and Arcanine, silently judged: This kid isn't worthy of being called a dog person.)
Right behind him, a little girl stepped out of the car and immediately took a few steps to the side. Her head lowered, and she carefully avoided eye contact with anyone nearby. She was clearly pretending she had nothing to do with the yelling idiot.
Goh turned around anyway and grinned at her. "Chloe, why are you being so shy? Once I catch the strongest Pokémon, I'll instantly become the greatest Pokémon Master ever!"
Chloe frowned. "Goh, Pokémon aren't about being the strongest or the weakest. Any Pokémon can become strong if it's trained with care. Also—" she crossed her arms, "—with your attitude, you're never going to make any friends."
As the daughter of Professor Sakuragi, the head of the Sakuragi Institute, Chloe had been raised to treat Pokémon as companions and equals. Her philosophy was the exact opposite of Goh's.
She valued bonds, trust, and emotional connection.
Goh?
He saw Pokémon as trophies. Capital for showing off. Tools to prove his superiority.
In a way, Chloe was more like Ash — someone who cherished every Pokémon, strong or weak. Goh, on the other hand, treated the Pokémon world like a competitive game, always chasing power and glory.
"Making friends is a waste of time," Goh scoffed. "I'll just catch the most powerful Pokémon and rise to the top. Friends can't feed me, and they sure can't give me strong Pokémon, so what's the point?"
His loud, arrogant declaration instantly drew the ire of the surrounding campers. Several kids frowned, some exchanged glances, and a few already looked like they wanted to knock some sense into him.
Most of the kids attending Professor Oak's Summer Camp weren't ordinary children. While a few were local to Pallet Town, many had family backgrounds that came with weight — gym leaders, researchers, officials — and those kids weren't impressed by loudmouths like Goh.
More than a few of them gave him annoyed glances, their eyes filled with thinly veiled hostility.
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner near the edge of the group, a young girl kept her hat pulled low over her face. She spoke in a soft, nervous voice, her tone a mix of uncertainty and hope.
"So… this is the Kanto region? It's definitely different from Kalos. But… it doesn't quite match how Mom described it either. Still… I hope I can make some new friends."
Then her gaze landed on Goh, who was still making a scene in the middle of the crowd like he was the star of his own stage play. The girl's face soured instantly.
Nope.
Definitely not someone she wanted to be friends with.
Just like that, Goh was mentally erased from her list of possible companions.
In a vehicle heading toward the Summer Camp site, Ash noticed a file resting on the passenger seat. He reached over and picked it up.
"Doctor, is this the participant list and camp activity plan?"
Professor Oak gave a casual nod. "The list is accurate. As for the activities… well, the contents are just a basic outline. We'll have to adjust things depending on how the kids handle it."
What he didn't say was that he hadn't really put together any detailed plans this year.
Truthfully, Professor Oak was busier than ever. Between his own studies and the countless research ideas Ash had provided over the years, his workload had grown even more intense than it had been in the original timeline. He was winging it this year with recycled plans from past camps.
Ash flipped open the folder and started reading through the files.
He'd been looking forward to this year's Summer Camp for one very specific reason:
Serena.
She would be attending this year.
He'd been waiting for this moment for a long time.
After quickly scanning through the participant list, Ash's eyes landed on Serena's file — and paused. Just a moment longer than necessary.
And of course, Gary just had to notice.
He suddenly leaned closer and grinned. "Well, well, Ash. You've been staring at this girl's profile for a while. Don't tell me… you've got a crush?" He nudged Ash with an elbow. "Want this young master to give you a few romantic pointers?"