021: Kanto × Kalos "Summer Camp"
Seeing how his once strictly composed and cautious mother now acted cute, charming, and at times completely airheaded like Lostelle, Ash couldn't help but blush.
"Why does it feel like my mom suddenly switched genres her entire vibe is off" he screamed internally, baffled by her transformation.
But Ash quickly refocused his attention. What really mattered wasn't his mother's shift in behavior it was what she had said about the second and third place prizes for the upcoming Pokémon Summer Camp.
"So the rewards for the top three placements aren't drastically different. Anyone who places within the top three will be licensed by the Pokémon League to legally own Pokémon before the official age of 10. Plus, they'll receive a free Kanto starter Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle."
Ash nodded thoughtfully.
"This is good news. While I'm confident about taking first place, knowing that second and third place still allow early Pokémon ownership gives me a bit of safety net an insurance policy," he reasoned.
Just then, his mom clapped her hands as if suddenly remembering something important. "That's right! There's something super important I forgot to tell you about this weekend's Pokémon Summer Camp!"
Ash rolled his eyes. "Mom, can you not drop information like that out of nowhere? It's like every time you speak, it's a jump scare."
"Waaaaaah~ X﹏X Ash, you're scolding your own mom! You weren't like this before! You've changed!" Delia whined dramatically, holding her face and fake-crying.
"Okay, stop, stop," Ash sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "If anyone's changed here, it's definitely you, Mom."
Delia sniffled and gave him puppy-dog eyes. "Mom just had a lot to handle today. Don't bully your mom, Ash~ You used to be so sweet… X﹏X~"
"All right, all right! I'm sorry, okay? My bad!" Ash said hurriedly, knowing all too well the futility of arguing logic with a theatrical woman.
"To prove you still love your mom," Delia perked up instantly, her tears vanishing in record time, "stretch out that cute little face so Mommy can give it a pinch!"
"Uh…" Ash's lips twitched. But knowing that resistance was futile and that continued defiance would only escalate things he begrudgingly leaned forward, sacrificing his cheek to the face-pinching demon he called "Mom."
"Pinch~ Pinch~ Aww, so kawaii~" Delia gleamed with satisfaction.
"Can we get back to the actual conversation now?" Ash muttered, cheeks slightly red from the pinching.
"You said earlier there was something important I didn't know about this Pokémon Summer Camp. So what is it?"
Ash valued this event highly. He had just let his mother pinch his face he wasn't about to let that sacrifice go to waste. He wanted real answers.
"Oh, right! It's very important!" Delia said, finally focusing.
"When I went to Professor Oak's lab this afternoon to complete your registration, he told me something surprising. This year's Pokémon Summer Camp is different from the ones in previous years."
"This year's event is officially called the Kanto × Kalos Pokémon Summer Camp Cross-Regional Cultural Exchange Program!"
Delia relayed Professor Oak's words with the same enthusiasm he'd used.
"Kanto × Kalos?" Ash's eyes lit up.
That explained it. "No wonder Serena who's from faraway Vaniville Town in the Kalos Region came to Pallet Town for Summer Camp in the original timeline. It wasn't random after all."
Ash recalled that in the anime, Serena's memories revealed her participation in a Summer Camp in Kanto as a child, where she first met Ash. The event had seemed oddly out of place at the time, but this cleared up the confusion.
"So this year's Pokémon Summer Camp is part of a cultural exchange between the Kanto Pokémon League and the Kalos League, co-organized by Professor Oak's Lab and Professor Sycamore's Lab in Kalos," Ash realized. "It all makes sense now."
He was now completely certain this summer camp was where he'd first meet Serena, just like in the original storyline.
"Mom, did Professor Oak say anything else about the details of this joint Summer Camp with the Kalos side?" Ash asked, brushing aside Delia's hand as she tried to pinch his cheek again.
"I doubt you remembered everything he said, right?" he added, deadpan.
"Ah!! Ash! How could you say that to your sweet, dependable mother?" Delia gasped, clutching her chest in mock horror. "You think your mother doesn't listen to important things?"
"I pinch~ I pinch~ I piiinch~ (T^T)…" Delia cried as she grabbed him again, this time full hug mode.
"I give up," Ash muttered, sighing into the embrace. "Fine, just tell me what you know, Mom. Please."
Delia nodded happily. "Okay! Professor Oak said that Professor Sycamore will be hosting his own Summer Camp near Shalour City in Kalos at the same time as the one in Pallet Town."
Ash's ears perked up at the detail. "Shalour City? That's where Korrina, the Mega Evolution successor, trains."
Delia continued, "Since it's a cultural exchange, both Professors are sending select students to attend each other's camps. A limited number of Kalos students are coming here to Kanto, and some Kanto students were sent to Kalos earlier this week."
"Participants had the option to choose which camp to attend when they first signed up," she added, her voice suddenly a little sheepish. "But… when I saw the form, I didn't want my little Ash traveling so far on his own."
"…Don't tell me…"
Delia winced. "Y-Yeah… I didn't sign you up for the Kalos slot in time. The quota filled up really fast. The students selected to go have already flown out and arrived in Kalos."
"So when I registered you this afternoon, Professor Oak told me you'd be attending the Kanto side of the camp in Pallet Town."
Ash was silent for a moment.
He had hoped to go to Kalos to get a jumpstart on exploring that region and building relationships early. But it wasn't a huge loss. After all, Serena was coming here.
And if Serena was among the Kalos students sent to Kanto, it meant fate was still on schedule.
"Fine. No big deal," Ash shrugged with a hint of a smile. "If I can't go to Kalos, I'll just make sure this camp becomes unforgettable right here in Kanto."
And more than ever, he was determined to win first place.
This summer camp wasn't just about training it was a pivotal moment in his story.
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