Chapter 090: Ash Wakes Up!!
"Wow!! I didn't expect, Ash, that your Psychic ability could actually assist Pokémon in comprehending new moves. I'm so envious! If only I had such a Psychic gift," Tierno exclaimed, his voice full of admiration.
However, despite his envy, Tierno's eyes remained bright and sincere, without a trace of jealousy—true to his kind-hearted nature shown even back in Pokémon Adventures: Kalos Chapter.
"So, Ash, why did you borrow Serena's Clefairy specifically?" Gary asked, his curiosity not diminishing.
"Hm... This afternoon during training, I only experimented with my Froakie," Ash explained, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "I wanted to see if I could help other people's Pokémon learn new moves too."
Ash nodded lightly as he spoke.
"Then why borrow Serena's Clefairy and not one of my Pokémon, huh?" Gary pressed, a sly grin creeping across his face. "Oh! I get it now—"
He stared at Ash with a teasing look, sending a chill down Ash's spine.
"Shut up! It's just borrowing a Pokémon! No need for so many weird ideas!" Ash barked back, waving his hand hurriedly.
"Really~? I don't believe you!" Gary snickered, instantly switching to the exaggerated tone of a popular TV show host in the Kanto Region.
"Gary, what are you hinting at? Trevor and I are getting more and more confused here," Tierno asked, scratching his head.
"Tierno, Trevor, you still don't get it?" Gary leaned in conspiratorially. "Ash has a crush on Serena!"
"Whaaaat!!" Hearing this shocking "revelation," Tierno and Trevor were immediately caught in the flames of gossip. Even the ever-shy Trevor, who loved documenting Pokémon more than talking, leaned closer in excitement.
"Ash has a crush on Serena? Like a real crush?"
"But we're only six years old! Isn't it a little early to fall in love?"
"No wonder Ash kept sneaking glances at Serena when we first arrived in Pallet Town..."
"And here I was wondering why he put so much effort into coaching Serena's Pokémon battles today! So it's like that…"
...
Watching Gary drag Tierno and Trevor into his trouble-making mischief, Ash's forehead twitched with irritation, a comical '#' mark practically popping out.
"That's enough, you three. I'm too lazy to argue with you idiots," Ash said with a grunt.
Deciding not to waste time with them, Ash directly opened Clefairy's Poké Ball, releasing her in a flash of light.
Summoning his system backpack—a mysterious ability unique to this universe's version of Ash—he quickly located the "Disarming Voice" skill he had copied earlier from a wild Jigglypuff encountered during afternoon training.
After selecting "use," two Q-version chibi icons of Pokémon appeared before Ash's eyes: one for Froakie and one for Clefairy.
However, Froakie's icon was dim and greyed out, indicating incompatibility with the Fairy-type "Disarming Voice" move. Meanwhile, Clefairy's icon was fully highlighted, glowing brightly.
Ash clicked on Clefairy's icon without hesitation.
Even though Clefairy technically belonged to Serena, Ash knew that in the coming days, Serena would rely heavily on Clefairy's strength for the Summer Camp events.
Ash recalled from the previous Summer Camp meetings—based on Professor Oak's plans—that there would be a final cooperative team battle where all participants would pair up and compete.
Therefore, strengthening Clefairy in advance was not just a favor but a strategic preparation for Serena's sake.
Currently, Clefairy only knew four moves: Pound, Sing, Splash, and Copycat—giving her a set covering physical attacks, control, and supportive mimicry.
However, with "Disarming Voice" now added—a Fairy-type ranged special move—it would greatly enhance Clefairy's versatility in battle.
As for Froakie, Ash decided not to rush into teaching it more moves right now. Despite knowing that having multiple moves provides tactical flexibility, he also understood that randomly stacking moves without proper training could confuse a Pokémon during battles.
After Clefairy successfully learned "Disarming Voice," Ash crouched down and patted her gently on the head, praising her for her efforts.
Satisfied, he returned Clefairy to her Poké Ball with a flash.
Next, Ash walked over to the simple landline phone set up beside the bunk beds. Every cabin at the Pokémon Summer Camp had one—for precisely moments like this.
Despite the initial thrill of being away from home, homesickness inevitably crept in for many of the young campers. Most of them, including Tierno and Trevor, had traveled all the way from the faraway Kalos Region.
The camp organizers had thought of everything: even right now, in cabins across the site, students were lining up at the phones to call home.
Ash dialed his home number carefully.
"Hello, is this Ash?" a familiar warm voice immediately answered, surprising him.
"Hey!! Mom, how'd you know it was me so fast?" Ash asked, blinking.
"Silly boy," Delia laughed softly over the line. "We don't have any other relatives. Besides you, who else would call our house?"
Hearing his mother's voice, Ash finally realized just how much he had missed the familiar warmth of home.
"And for the next two weeks, since you're away attending the Summer Camp hosted by Professor Oak, I already contacted the Moomoo Milk Company at noon and asked them to pause our milk deliveries," Delia explained calmly over the phone.
There was no need for Ash to use his aura perception—his natural gift hinted at in some adaptations like Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew—to pick up on her emotions. After living two lives, Ash could easily sense the deep concern behind his mother Delia's steady voice.
"Mom..." Ash opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. His heart felt an unfamiliar pang of guilt.
Ever since Ash could remember, it had always been just him and Delia—mother and son, relying on each other through every hardship. This was the first time he had truly left home, the first time he had left his mother behind even for a short period.
Ash had come to the Pokémon Summer Camp with his friends full of excitement and anticipation.
Here, he could meet new people, like Tierno, Trevor, and others from regions as far away as Kalos, receive his very first Pokémon under Professor Oak's guidance, win friendly battles with other young Trainers, and even deepen his bond with Serena—whom he had met previously during a fateful encounter at Professor Sycamore's lab event, as referenced earlier.
All day, Ash had been in a state of nonstop excitement, like he was participating in a Pokémon Contest for the first time—caught up in the thrill of new adventures.
He hadn't thought about it much—how Delia must have felt, left alone at home.
Ash was the son who had been by her side ever since he could crawl. Now, with him suddenly gone—even for just two weeks—Delia was left in a quiet, empty house.
Although this Summer Camp, as described by Professor Oak in his opening speech, was an opportunity for children to grow independent, it didn't change how lonely a mother would feel.
Ash hadn't even realized this at first. Truthfully, he had only called home earlier because of the experiment he completed with Clefairy.
Through the system—an ability unique to this world's Ash, involving copying moves with Poké Balls—he discovered that as long as the Poké Ball was in his possession, the system recognized the Pokémon as his, allowing him to assist them in learning new skills.
Thus, Ash had intended to call Delia to request her help in registering an online store on the Pokémon Alliance trading website.
The plan was to set up a service, possibly partnering with companies like Silph Co. or Devon Corp's design affiliates, to customize his store's webpage with a professional look, branding it under a pseudonym like "Joshua."
Ash had it all worked out: when the Summer Camp concluded and he returned to Pallet Town, he could immediately start taking commissions from Trainers who wanted their Pokémon to learn skills faster—building a business and earning some pocket money for future travels.
Everything he thought about had been centered around himself—his goals, his Pokémon.
He hadn't once thought about how his mother would feel being alone.
Realizing this now, a rush of heat stung Ash's eyes. His hands, gripping the receiver, began to tremble slightly.
For a long moment, he said nothing about the online store. He held back.
Instead, for the first time in the conversation, Ash asked in a small but sincere voice:
"Mom... have you eaten dinner yet?"
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