"Look at this place!"
Wide eyes took in the surrounding scenery with awe. Oak's Summer Camp looked just as amazing as he had been promised! Children and Pokémon roamed happily among the wide, grassy fields, while the large forest at the corners of the camp beckoned him forth for an adventure. The raven-haired boy nearly bolted ahead to the camp on his own, but he stopped himself from charging ahead as he heard someone nearby calling his name.
A young girl dashed to catch up to him, her honey-hued locks dancing behind her as she ran. Once she finally pulled up beside him, she leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Y-you," she began, panting, "You definitely won," she conceded with a quiet laugh.
"Please wait for me!" a blonde boy called out desperately to the pair. He came scrambling towards his companions, looking rather unsettled; perhaps he feared that the two would run off again before he even arrived. When he reached them, his anxiety shifted to exasperation, but that negativity quickly vanished once he gazed out at the scene before them. "Look," he breathed. "Look at all of the Pokémon!"
The dark-haired boy elbowed him lightly. "D'you think we can keep any of them?" he asked, only half-joking. "Never mind that! Look at all of that open space! We could totally train for battles without having to worry about breaking anything!"
The girl's interest seemed to be elsewhere. "So many other people are here… I wonder how many group activities we'll do." A thought struck her, and she felt as if she would nearly burst from excitement. Eyes sparkling, she exclaimed, "Maybe we'll get to roast marshmallows and sit around a campfire! We can tell spooky stories while the stars shine above our heads!"
The blonde boy winced and quickly waved his hands in front of his face. "Please, not another ghost story, sis! I couldn't sleep for two days after your last one!"
"Now, now. Take it easy on your brother, Angelique." A woman approached the group, chuckling softly. "You're the big sister, so I need you to keep an eye on both of them, okay?"
"Aww, come on, hon. Edgar and Ricky are tough," the man beside her declared. Ash Ketchum had his fingers intertwined with those of his wife, Serena Ketchum, as the couple finally caught up with their rambunctious children. He let go for a moment so that he could go up to his twin sons. "Speaking of tough, I don't know how much battling you'll get to do here," he warned them. "You're still not old enough to really be trainers yet, y'know?"
Ricky groaned loudly and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm seven years old, Dad! I'm not a little k—hey!" Ash began to ruffle the boy's black hair, which was very reminiscent of his own; however, Ricky was not about to let his father embarrass him on the first day of camp, and he tried to swat his dad's hands away.
"I wouldn't count on battling," Serena murmured in agreement. "Your father and I did plenty of other activities at camp, though!" She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the memories of summers long gone to flow through her mind. The ones from her childhood were definitely the most memorable, despite the fact that many years had passed since she had lived them. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she noticed that all of her children were eyeing her attentively, expecting elaboration. "For instance, we did orienteering, where we got to explore the forests and cliffs around us in Kalos." Edgar's eyes lit up, and she smiled warmly at him, figuring that her adventurous son would love a chance to roam.
"Just don't get lost like your mom did," Ash advised with a grin and a sideways glance at his wife, who poked him in the nose. "Also, don't get yourself hurt, like I did," he added as an afterthought.
"Your dad and I managed to walk into trouble during more than one summer," Serena admitted, and she eyed Ricky and Edgar sharply. Those two caused enough chaos at home, and she certainly didn't want them to put unnecessary strain on aging Professor Oak. "We also made a Pokevision back in Kalos, where we not only got to film with our Pokémon, but we made and ate yummy snacks for our film, too!" Unfortunately, Chespin had eaten more than his fair share of her Poke Puffs, but that didn't detract from the fun that everyone had before, during, and after production.
"A Pokevision?" Angelique echoed, leaning forward eagerly. "You mean you made one of those at camp? Can we do that here, too?" Serena blushed, still taken aback by how much her daughter admired her. She had shown her the old Pokevisions from the days of her youth, as well as those of other Kalos Queens such as Aria and Shauna.
"We also did a lot of fishing and swimming, remember? I still can't believe that Bonnie held her breath underwater for so long!" Ash seemed to be journeying down memory lane as well, and Serena noticed a peculiar twinkle in his eyes; was he yearning for the days of old? Every now and then, she missed them too, but that feeling was natural at their age. Now was the time for their children to prepare for their own journeys, anyway. In a sense, she was getting a second childhood through them, knowing that she would be able to hear about their adventures and live vicariously through these three bundles of joy. Her kids' dreams would become her dreams, too.
"Swimming?" Ricky gasped. "I wanna swim right now! I'll race you to the lake, Edgar!" Without waiting for his brother to even comment, Ricky dashed off, clearly unable to contain his excitement any longer.
"No fair! You did that last time, too!" Edgar shouted, hurrying after his twin as swiftly as he could manage. Ash also began to run after his boys, and for a moment Serena wasn't sure if he was trying to stop them or if he would jump in with them. That man was forever young at heart.
Angelique had lifted a foot to kick off her shoes and join them, but Serena put a hand on her shoulder before she could get too far. Slowly she knelt down to meet her daughter at eye level. "I packed a little something extra for you," she whispered, and she began to unzip the girl's bag.
The eight-year-old nodded, watching her mother curiously. "How did you find extra room in there?"
"Your mama doesn't give up easily," Serena informed her with a wink. Not anymore, anyway. Not since she had met Ash, all those years ago. Here. At this very camp. "Aha!" With a triumphant smile, she whipped out a straw hat. The accessory was clearly aged and a little worn down, but it had clearly been treated well over the years. The owner had worked hard to preserve it. Carefully she placed the hat snugly on her daughter's head. Angelique seemed appreciative, being the polite child that she was, but she was undeniably confused. "The memories and friendships you'll make here are the ones that'll last forever. This is for good luck," she explained, and she softly placed a kiss on the blonde girl's cheek.
"Now," she began, standing up to her full height again. "You'd better run after those boys. Even Dad can be reckless sometimes. When I count down, we're running after them!" Serena pulled back her hair into a ponytail and winked at her daughter, who was excitedly removing her little pink shoes. "Three, two, one… Summer has begun!"