c147: Serena Has a Cold and a Fever?
"Clefairy, use Disarming Voice on Squirtle!"
Without missing a beat, Lena redirected the offensive as soon as Charmander was defeated, shifting the focus to the now-isolated Squirtle. Her tone was firm but slightly hoarse a symptom of her apparent cold setting in, something her classmates had begun whispering about since the match began.
"Pii~!!"
Though Clefairy wasn't Lena's original Pokémon she had borrowed it temporarily under Ash's guidance during training sessions Ash had only helped it master a few reliable skills due to their limited time. But even so, Disarming Voice, a Fairy-type special move that never misses, was more than sufficient to dominate most of the camp battles.
Currently, Squirtle was still under the effects of the Infatuation status caused by the earlier Disarming Voice, and it hadn't yet recovered. The lingering charm had clouded its mind. As Clefairy unleashed another round of echoing, heart-shaped soundwaves, Okazaki's panic grew.
"Squirtle, wake up! Snap out of it!" Okazaki shouted, voice cracking with urgency.
"Pii~!!"
The musical waves struck Squirtle again, and with the added effect of his trainer's voice ringing in his ears, Squirtle slowly blinked back into awareness. The fog of affection faded.
"Jenny!!"
With a cry of defiance, Squirtle shook its head violently and regained composure, breaking free of the infatuated Contest Condition.
Okazaki: "Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
Ash: "Froakie, Bubble Mousse now!"
Seeing Squirtle free itself, Okazaki gave a quick counter-command. But he seemed to forget that he was now facing a 1v2. Ash and Froakie Pokémon and Trainer in complete sync didn't hesitate.
"Crack!!" Froakie bounced lightly off the ground, its ninja-like agility barely making a sound. With a flick of both hands, it hurled two gelatinous globs of sticky Bubble Mousse a tactical variation on its standard Bubble, developed during early camp trials as a control move.
The globs struck true one hit Squirtle's face, the other glued its hind feet to the battlefield.
Squirtle had become a sitting target.
"Clefairy, keep using Disarming Voice!"
With Squirtle immobilized, Lena gave a safe, calculated command. Rather than charging in recklessly, she kept Clefairy at range and let it fire off continuous soundwaves charming, paralyzing, and disorienting.
"Froakie, finish it Water Pulse!" Ash followed up immediately. Froakie gathered energy, forming a spinning ring of pressurized water between its palms, then hurled it with ninja precision.
Okazaki could only watch helplessly as the two-pronged onslaught continued. The mousse had rooted Squirtle in place, preventing it from dodging, and Clefairy's psychological pressure gave it no room to focus on counterattacks.
Still, Okazaki clenched his fists and forced himself not to quit.
Admitting defeat wasn't in his nature. He gave Squirtle one last symbolic order.
"Squirtle, Withdraw! Defense up!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
But the combined attacks kept raining down. Although Squirtle's shell offered better protection than most early-stage Pokémon Rattata or Oddish, for example—it wasn't enough. It was a basic form, not yet evolved into Wartortle or Blastoise, and certainly not ready to take repeated super-effective hits.
After a few more impacts, Squirtle finally slumped forward, eyes spiraling, limbs splayed.
[DING! Congratulations, Host. Defeated Level 8 Squirtle. +120 EXP]
"Charmander and Squirtle are both unable to battle. Ash and Serena win this match."
Professor Oak's voice rang clear across the campgrounds, making it official.
The crowd, though unsurprised, erupted into murmurs some in awe, some in disappointment, and others just stunned by how efficiently Ash and Serena coordinated despite Serena's visible fatigue.
A few observant students whispered among themselves:
"Didn't she have a fever earlier? How's she still standing…?"
"Yeah, I heard she nearly skipped the match Ash must've convinced her."
And yet, even with a cold and rising temperature, Serena had never once faltered in her commands.
After Professor Oak announced the results, the body of Froakie on the battlefield suddenly emitted a soft white glow.
It was exactly like what had happened during the opening match of the closing challenge when Ash and Serena had won their first battle, Froakie had glowed faintly then as well.
At the time, most of the summer camp students had been confused, but Professor Oak had explained, "Ah, that's the precursor to evolution. Froakie is nearing a breakthrough." The students had watched in awe, realizing that Ash's Froakie was close to evolving into Frogadier.
Now, that same evolutionary light shimmered again, but this time it pulsed more intensely, and the brightness was several shades stronger than before.
Although Froakie still didn't complete its evolution, the scene impressed not only the participating summer camp students but even Professor Oak and the audience watching the livestream from home.
"Still didn't evolve?" Ash murmured inwardly, as he glanced at his partner. His expression was unreadable not obviously disappointed or excited.
He knew very well: while evolution was something to celebrate, the fact that Froakie held off evolving wasn't necessarily negative. According to Professor Oak's research shared earlier in the camp, Pokémon with higher potential sometimes evolve later. Their energy builds more slowly, but once unleashed, the results far surpass expectations.
Ash × Serena vs. Steve × Erwin
Ash × Serena vs. Ikeda × Sungbin
Ash × Serena vs. Sanxi × Kenji
Ash × Serena vs. Takagi × Mahiro
And now, after just finishing a match against Okazaki × Keisuke, Ash and Serena had completed five straight victories in the summer camp's final evaluation matches.
According to the camp's tenth and final assessment guidelines, participants needed to win at least three out of five matches. Ash and Serena had gone undefeated. Each win awarded 2 points so with five wins, they both earned 10 points, the maximum possible.
"Ash is really strong. Compared to when the camp started, his progress is incredible."
"Yeah, and think about it Froakie was only Level 5 at the beginning. In just two weeks, Ash has trained it hard enough that it's now on the verge of evolving. That kind of growth doesn't come without talent and dedication."
"Exactly. Honestly, I didn't think much of him at first, but if Ash really does become the Pokémon World's Mightiest Trainer someday, it'll be amazing to say we trained alongside him at this camp."
"No kidding."
"But why's everyone just talking about Ash? This was a double battle, and Serena did really well too. Plus, she's gorgeous."
"Heh, keep dreaming. Serena's family is famous you'd need more than good grades to even get close to her."
"Who's the first to admit they have a crush on Serena?"
"Forget it. The entire camp knows that Serena from Class 407 likes Ash. And honestly, it looks like Ash likes her back. They've practically been a couple since week one."
As the battle wrapped up, the topic among the students quietly shifted from Ash's training skill to the gossip surrounding his relationship with Serena.
"Ash!!" Serena called, cheeks flushed a deep red. Her voice cracked slightly as she turned to him.
"Huh?" Ash looked at her, confused for a second. Then, noticing her reddened face, he stepped closer.
"Serena, your face is really red. Are you okay? Do you have a fever?" Ash asked with concern. He instinctively raised the back of his hand to her forehead and compared it to his own.
"N-No, I'm fine!" Serena stammered, turning her head away shyly.
"Doesn't feel like a fever…" Ash muttered. He glanced back at Froakie and Clefairy, both visibly tired from the match. "Let's take Froakie and Clefairy to the Pokémon Center first. After that, I'll walk you back to the camp cabin."
"You can take some cold granules Professor Oak said they keep that herbal stuff at the camp pharmacy. Then just rest. With all the activities lately, it's no wonder you're worn out," Ash added.
"I really am okay. You don't have to worry so much~" Serena said, softly, shaking her head with a bashful smile.
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