"Stop it... Please stop quickly! Help... Ahhh!!"
In the forest clearing, the delightful screams continued to echo until Goh was completely out of breath and Xiaochun frantically intervened, only then did Nidoran finally stop attacking... Of course, it was likely just tired, as it was still a child~
"Damn it! What exactly are you trying to do?! You..."
Having finally escaped the attack, Goh quickly forgot the pain again, but after Nidoran glared at him, he immediately chickened out and shrank his neck.
"Well, I think Little Nido probably just purely dislikes you oh~" Blue mocked him with a sneer, and Nidoran obligingly turned around and scraped its hind legs twice towards Goh... The gesture looked like it was trying to bury something that had been expelled from its body~
The children of Pallet Town grew up constantly roaming the forest, so just like Ash, they all had good partners they had befriended early on—the kind they could put in a ball when they turned ten.
This Nidoran naturally played with Blue, and since all the Pokémon in the forest were collectively tormenting Goh, Blue naturally wanted to give the final blow to her partner.
"Oh right, I just heard... you want to capture Mew?" After mocking him for a while, Blue recalled Goh's 'delusional ravings' and shook her head noncommittally. "I advise you to stop fantasizing. With your caliber, you wouldn't be able to do it in two lifetimes~"
"Damn it! How do you know I can't do it?!" Ignoring the injuries on his face, Goh immediately yelled defiantly. "If I want it, there's no Pokémon I can't capture! Just you wait, when I become a Trainer, the first one I capture will be Mew!"
"The first one..." "Capture Mew?"
"Mew?"
This boast, even more unreliable than the last, instantly shocked both Blue and Lila. Mew looked even more bewildered, as if watching an idiot.
"Give me a break. Mew would absolutely never take a liking to someone like you," Blue said, shaking her head scornfully after recovering. "After all... it might not be human, but you are truly a dog~"
"What did you say... Hiss! Ow ow ow ow~"
Having been openly belittled by Blue, Goh angrily wanted to throw a tantrum again, but this pulled at the injuries on his face, forcing him to clutch his cheek and whine incessantly.
As for the Mew he claimed he wanted to 'capture first,' it circled Blue and Lila twice, then giggled and flew away.
"So, you were all here... Huh, Goh, what happened to your face?" At that moment, an anxious call came from a distance, and Oak finally hurried over.
What greeted him was the innocently smiling Blue, and a certain piece of trash wailing dramatically.
"Sh-She... They did this! Aren't you Oak? Hurry up and discipline them?! Waaah... Is there no justice left in the world~"
"Blue, what happened?" Oak frowned and turned to Blue, but the latter immediately put on a wronged and scared expression and quickly hid behind Lila.
"Oak, you can't blame me... Sob sob, Ash made me do it. If you don't believe me, ask Lila~"
"Sister Blue..." Watching Blue, who was dryly sobbing behind her without shedding a single tear, Lila was speechless.
Wait... this isn't what we agreed upon!
Why did you throw my brother under the bus?!
"A... Achoo!!" At that moment, outside the forest, someone sneezed an enormous, inexplicable sneeze.
"Ash, are you alright?" Serena, in his arms, immediately asked with concern, almost reaching out to touch Ash's cheek.
"I'm fine." Ash sniffed. He had just felt a sudden, inexplicable chill... as if someone had slammed a pot lid onto his head~
"Maybe you're too tired? Actually, I..."
"I'm fine, I'm not tired at all. Carrying you back to the lab like this is no problem~" Before Serena could finish, Ash immediately puffed out his chest and lifted his arms slightly, looking completely at ease.
"Okay..." Serena weakly covered her face with her hand. She had wanted to say that she could get down and walk.
But since Ash thought it was fine, then... she'd just continue like this... Ash only heard about the farce in the forest later, but he wasn't very surprised.
He had long known about Blue's hidden mischievous nature and guessed that she might use his words as an excuse to cause trouble, so it wasn't entirely unfair to blame him; after all, there was an element of his instigation involved.
It was just a bit of a pity he didn't get to see Mew... but it didn't matter. He would definitely have plenty of chances to witness various legends in the future.
As for the result of the farce, Goh and Xiaochun did not participate in the rest of the Summer Camp. They returned early that afternoon, and the whole matter ended there.
What else could happen?
It was just a bit of childish roughhousing; there was no need to make a big deal out of it~
Since Ash took the blame, Oak wouldn't turn his elbow outwards, and Dr. Sakuragi, Koharu's father, was Oak's own student, so naturally, he wouldn't dare hold his teacher accountable for such a small matter.
And once he lost the support of his Childhood Friend's family, what worth did Goh have?
Ash couldn't be bothered with whether that guy left or stayed, or how he threw a tantrum outside Professor Oaks Laboratory.
He had more important things to do right now.
The summer camp wasn't long, and within those few limited days, Ash had to take responsibility for his 'newly acquainted' friend, lest she feel lonely due to being unfamiliar with the place... Well, actually, he was actively pursuing Serena~
Ash didn't think there was anything wrong with admitting this.
Since he confirmed his positive feelings for Serena, Ash, as a brave and loving protagonist, naturally had to make a move... otherwise, the Aura Power wouldn't let him off the hook either.
Besides, what kind of thoughts did the otaku who watched the anime in his previous life harbor? Now that Ash had transmigrated, could he possibly deny them?
Anyway, he couldn't pretend to be ignorant, feigning reserve while waiting for a girl to throw herself at him; that wouldn't be manly at all~
If he didn't dare to admit his true feelings and even deceived himself, how could he be sincere toward others?
Of course, 'making a move' didn't mean Ash would turn into a pervert; it just meant building a rapport with Serena as much as possible within their current age range.
Seven years old was indeed quite young, but at least they could reach a state beyond mere friendship first... Just like that, time finally arrived at the last day of the summer camp.
The other children had left one after another, leaving only the girl who was about to travel far to Kalos, lingering hesitantly outside the Laboratory.
As the time for parting approached, Serena looked at the boy who had come to see her off, feeling extremely reluctant to leave.
During this summer camp, which she was initially unwilling to attend, she unexpectedly made many friends: the gentle and kind Lila, the reliable confidante Blue, and Gary, who only existed in legends... and also Ash, right before her eyes.
He was no longer just a simple friend; to Serena, he was... a very special existence.
Unique, even, and irreplaceable by anyone!
"Ash..." After a long while, Serena tentatively reached out to Ash, seemingly hesitating about whether to extend an invitation... "Have a safe trip home, and... I will definitely come to Kalos to see you~" Their hands met, and the boy, as if completely reading her mind, preemptively voiced the hope she hadn't yet spoken.
"Mhm!"
At this moment, all the girl's worries about gains and losses vanished into thin air, leaving only overwhelming joy in her heart.