It was the last day of Professor Oak's summer camp. The young campers had worked all summer to learn everything they could about Pokemon training, and it was time for the final activity: go into Viridian Forest and document the most Pokemon found in person. Each of the campers were split into teams, and the team that came back by sunset with the most Pokemon found would win.

Obviously, being the final activity, it was the closest thing children under 10 could get to experiecing life as a Pokemon Trainer. All of the children's parents were in attendence, watching with sheer excitement for their little ones. Two parents in particular, however, were in the front seats talking with their children before the activity began.

"But Mommy, I don't wanna go in there! It's too scary!" A little girl with a straw hat was hugging her mother's leg, unwilling to venture into the unfamiliar wilderness on her own. The mother sighed and patted her head. "Don't worry, Serena, you'll be just fine. Gary and Cross have already promised to protect you in the forest."

"Sniff...are you sure?"

"Just stay close to them and don't wander off. Now go on, they're waiting for you."

The mother watched little Serena line up with her group. She looked up to the sky in hopefulness. She had been trying for months to get Serena to try new things, to give her some idea of what goal she might want to pursue in the world when she gets older. But every time, Serena would get too scared to try, or, if she found it too hard, she'd cry and quit. After learning about Professor Oak's summer camp, the mother learned of a whole variety of things campers could do with Pokemon; battling, trading, exploring--the possibilities seemed limitless. She enrolled Serena in the camp, and this was the first time she saw Serena up to taking on a new challenge. "Please let this be the one," the mother thought to herself.

Elsewhere at the attendance seats, another mother was talking with her child before the forest trek. The mother's name was Delia Ketchum. She was looking over her son, making sure he was ready.

"Ash dear, do you have your water? Your snacks? Your list?" she said, holding her son's shoulders.

"Mooo-ooom! For the last time, I have everything!" her son insisted. He always hated it when his mom kept reminding him over and over of such things.

"I'm serious, Ash! I don't want you getting hurt or lost in there!"

"I'll be fine, Mom!" Ash said. "I'm NOT gonna let Gary beat me this time!"

Delia sighed and looked over at Gary's team. Ash and Gary always had an intense rivalry, and Gary always gloated at her son about how awesome he was being Professor Oak's grandson. Ash always had a problem with getting bullied; whenever he talked about his dream of being a Pokemon Master, other kids would pick on him and say he'll be a good-for nothing failure like his father, and because of this, no one wanted to be on Ash's team. He was going into Viridian Forest all alone, and this made Delia even more worried and concerned for her son than usual.

"Just in case something happens to you, I want you to take this." She pulled out a small blue handkerchief.

Ash took it and looked at it for a bit. Whenever he fell climbing trees or from falling down and scraping his knee, Delia would wrap it around his wound and go, "Feel better, feel better, right away!" It always seemed to cheer him up, and the pain would usually go away.

"It'll bring you good luck." Delia smiled.

Ash gave his mother a big hug. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll make you proud!" he said happily. He ran to the edge of the woods as Delia watched him go.

"Be careful, honey!" she called.

The campers lined up outside the forest entrance. Ash and Gary were glaring at each other in anticipation while Serena was fearfully holding Cross' hand, much to his annoyance.

"I'm glad to see everyone's ready for our final camp activity!" Said Professor Oak, overlooking the campers. "This will be your first step on your roads to becoming true Pokemon Trainers! And now a poem for motivation!"

Gary groaned. He was SO sick of Gramps blurting out poems all the time.

"In your own backyard

Pokemon are everywhere

You've just got to look!"

"That's WAY too basic," Cross thought to himself. "It didn't even rhyme."

"Remember all the skills you've learned over the summer for this activity. Go forth and meet as many Pokemon as you can find and be sure to be back by sunset." Professor Oak said.

Ash was SO psyched; playing in his backyard with some of the Pidgey, Rattata or Caterpie always felt natural to him, since the Pokemon he met felt like the true friends he'd never had much of. This activity should be a piece of cake for him!

"I'm gonna find every single Pokemon in that forest!" Ash said with fire in his eyes.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh!" said Gary. "When you're the grandson on the world's foremost authority on Pokemon, you're a MAGNETON for the wildlife! You'll just be a Vileplume scaring them off with your stinky smell!"

Steam came out of Ash's ears. "Oh yeah? I've been going into the woods a LOT longer than you! I WILL win this time! Just you wait and see!"

Serena and Cross simply looked on.

"Is everybody ready?" The campers turned their gaze to the forest entrance. "Then...GO!!!" And with that, everyone ran into Viridian Forest, ready to find some Pokemon.

--

"Urgh, not again!"

Gary, Cross and Serena were not having much luck finding Pokemon in the forest. As Professor Oak taught them at camp, the best way to get close to a wild Pokemon is to quietly approach them without calling attention to yourself. Gary and Cross knew this well, and yet...

"Serena, your crying scared the Spearow away! At this rate, Ash is gonna find more Pokemon than us!" Gary told Serena.

"I'm--I'm sorry," Serena whimpered. "I didn't mean to..."

"I've just about had it with this crybaby..." Cross mumbled. Gary rolled his eyes nodded in agreement. How were they supposed to find more Pokemon if Serena kept screaming like a Whismur every time they heard a rustle of leaves or a splash of water? They HAD to get her off their backs somehow.

As they continued to walk, Serena clung onto Cross' arm, hoping no big or dangerous Pokemon were around. Suddenly, Gary looked up. "Shh!" he said. "Do you see those?"

Cross and Serena looked up as well. In the trees above them, several Kakuna were hanging from the branches, immobile and completely silent.

"If I'm not mistaken," Cross whispered, "Kakuna are supposed to evolve into Beedrill, right?"

"Yeah," Gary answered. "They can get really nasty if something disturbs them. Trust me, you do NOT want to get a Poison Sting from one of those Pokemon."

"B-B-Beedrill?! P-P-Poison Sting?!" Serena shrieked, squeezing Cross' arm tighter.

"SSSHHH!!!" Cross shushed back, trying to shake her of his arm. "You wanna wake them all up?!?"

It was then that a soft crackling noise was heard. Gary noticed one of the Kakuna had a crack on it's underside. And it was getting bigger.

"Guys...too late," he gulped.

Soon enough, more cracks started appearing on each of the Kakunas' undersides, getting bigger and splitting more open.

"Good going, crybaby," Cross groaned. Serena held her chest and quivered in fear.

From the cracks of the Kakuna soon crawled out several Beedrill, each of them speading their newly-formed wings wide apart. Their needles were glistening in the sunlight, sharp as daggers. They all glared down at the tiny humans who had just disturbed their sleep, and dove straight for them.

"Let's get out of here!" Gary shouted, and they all ran as fast as they could through the forest, waving their hands and trying to keep the Beedrill away. Serena shut her eyes and held onto Cross' arm screaming.

The Beedrill furiously buzzed around them, jabbing their poisonous needles at the little children, but they just kept running. As they were fleeing from the sinister swarm, Serena accidentally let go of Cross' arm and started running in another direction, not looking where she was going. She didn't care how much she ran--she just HAD to get away from those scary Beedrill!

Gary and Cross eventually found a nearby cave to hide in, and waited until the Beedrill swarm was out of sight.

"Whew!" sighed Gary. "That was too close."

"You're telling me," said Cross, panting heavily. "Why did we even bother taking that crybaby anyway? She's done nothing but whine throughout the whole summer."

"Speaking of which, where is she?"

They peeked their heads out of the cave to see if Serena was anywhere nearby.

"She's not here," said Cross. "She must've wandered off in all the confusion."

"Great!" fumed Gary. "Not only is Ash gonna beat us, but we got attacked by Beedrill and lost the girl we promised to keep with us! Her mom's gonna kill us!"

"Hold on," said Cross, seeing an opportunity. "If she's not here, that means...no more crybaby stuff! We can still win this thing!"

Gary thought about this for a moment. Without that annoying crybaby Serena, it could be a lot quieter going through Viridian Forest. Wild Pokemon would definitely be easier to approach. They'd have this activity in the bag in no time.

"Hmm...yeah!" Gary said. "All she's done is cry and whine and go 'MOMMY' every time we see a Pokemon. Who needs her, anyway?"

Cross shook his arm, getting rid of the pins-and-needles feeling from Serena squeezing it so hard. "I'm glad to finally have my arm breathe again," he said. "We'll get her later."

"All right! With Spearow, Kakuna and Beedrill on the list, that makes three! Just you wait, Ash! C'mon Cross! The Oak name will succeed!" The two campers chuckled at each other as they ventured deeper into Viridian Forest.

--

Not too long after Gary and Cross left the cave, Ash happened to come across it.

"Hell-ooooooooooooo?! Isn't there anyone home?!" he called into the cave.

All he could hear was the echo of his own call.

"Nothing here either...URGH! Why can't I find anything?!" Ash stormed off in frustration.

He'd been at this for what felt like forever. He'd looked into trees, near ponds, under rocks, behind bushes, even squinting at the sky to see if there were any Flying Pokemon silhouetted in the blue vista of day. But so far, he'd found nothing. Of course, with Ash being Ash, he was forgetting the lesson about staying inconspicuous when approaching wild Pokemon. He'd been calling Pokemon's names out, running headfirst into habitats and even tried mimicking their languages--badly.

Taking a small sip of the Fresh Water bottle he brought with him, Ash sat on a rock by the pond and sighed.

"I'm never gonna beat Gary now...how am I supposed to be a Pokemon Master if I can't FIND any Pokemon to be a Master of?!"

He remembered telling his mother he'd make her proud winning this activity. He remembered boasting to Gary this morning that he'd kick his butt. Would he have to come out of the forest with his tail between his legs and say that he lost...again?

Ash then stood up, a determined look on his face.

Gary had beaten him at every other camp activity throughout the whole summer; he couldn't afford to add this one to that list. Ash knew a real Pokemon Master wouldn't lament what he COULDN'T do...he'd go and discover what he COULD do. He would never know unless he tried. As long as he believed in himself, and kept his eye on his ultimate dream...he could do anything.

"I'm not quitting," Ash said to himself. "I know I can do this! Do you hear me, Gary? I WON'T GIVE UP 'TIL IT's OVER!!!"

A small splash came from the pond.

Hearing it, Ash hid behind the rock and watched. Out of the pond jumped a little blue Pokemon with two feet, a tail, a round body, cute eyes and a swirl on it's stomach. It was a Poliwag!

Ash felt so excited; it was his first Pokemon on this forest hunt! "All right!" he thought. "I'm gonna win this for sure!"

Suddenly, the Poliwag started walking right in his direction. Thinking back to Professor Oak's lessons, Ash stayed as still as a Metapod, trying to control his breathing so he doesn't scare this Pokemon off. But his excitement for seeing his first wild Pokemon in Viridian Forest was making this unbelievably hard for him.

Poliwag walked ever closer to Ash, eyeing him curiously. It leaned in about three inches from touching his nose. Ash, nervous of Poliwag being this close, gave a tiny grin.

Suddenly, the Poliwag spun around, and with it's tail, started a DoubleSlap attack right in his face!

"HEY!" Ash screamed; his eyes shut from the blows. "What was that for?!"

The Poliwag giggled and hopped away.

"Hey, get back here!" Ash angrily shouted as he chased the Water-type Pokemon through the Viridian bushes. "You can't get away from me! I'll teach you!"

--

Serena had successfully outrun the Beedrill that was chasing her. She lowered her hands and opened her eyes when the noise settled.

"C-C-Cross? Gary?" She called. No one answered. No one was around. She was all alone in the deep forest filled with scary Pokemon, with no one beside her.

"Where is everybody?" she called again. "Where did you all go?"

She heard rustling in the neaby bushes. "AAH!" She fell down to the ground, rather hard, knee-first. Serena tried to get up, but it was no use. It just hurt so much.

Something was in those bushes...and Serena couldn't stand. She couldn't run. A really dangerous Pokemon must be in there, she thought, waiting leap out and attack her. She whimpered in fear.

With another rustle, what popped out...was just a harmless Poliwag. It glanced at Serena's confused face and hopped away.

Serena's eyes started to swell up with tears. Her mother made her come to this camp, but everything felt like her worst nightmares come true. She had made almost no friends since coming here, everyone was calling her a "crybaby", she got attacked by Beedrill, the two boys who promised to protect her were gone, she hurt her leg, and she was lost in a dark forest filled with scary Pokemon that probably want to eat her for dinner.

"I knew I didn't want to come to camp!" Serena sobbed. "I knew it!"

Scared, sad, helpless and miserable, Serena could only shout one word.

"MOMMY!!!"

Soon, another rustle came from the bushes. Serena could only watch in terror. This time for sure she'd be done for. She shut her eyes, waiting for the roar of some giant Arcanine or Nidoking.

Instead, she heard a boy's voice call out, "Poliwag?"

The boy walked out of the bushes, looking for the Water-type that had gotten away from him. He noticed Serena on the ground. "Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked.

Serena looked up at him. It was the boy who had walked into Viridian Forest without a team.

"Hi, I'm Ash! Who are you?" He noticed Serena's injury. "What's wrong?"

"I hurt...my leg..." Serena said with a sob.

Ash saw how frightened and in pain Serena looked. He knew she was on Gary's team, but that didn't mean he couldn't help her if she was in trouble. He then had an idea. "Don't worry," he said, and pulled out the lucky handkerchief his mother gave him. "See this? This'll make it better." Ash figured if the handkerchief could make his pain go away, it can help other people too. He gently tied it around Serena's knee.

Serena felt confused. This boy was her teammate's biggest rival--why was he helping her? As she watched the boy wrap the handkerchief around her injury, she thought to herself, "My knee is still hurting--how's a tiny piece of cloth gonna make the pain stop?"

"All done!" said Ash. Serena moved her now-bandaged leg a bit, feeling a small ache as she did. "Now watch this!" He started doing the magic hand movements his mother made whenever she bandaged him. "Feel better, feel better, right away!"

Serena tried to move, but the pain was just too much for her to stand on her own. "It still hurts," she whimpered. "I can't stand up!" Serena looked like she was on the verge of crying again.

Ash stood up and put his hands on his hips as he looked down on her. Poor Serena cringed a bit. When other campers did this, that was usually when they started to call her a "crybaby." But Ash simply looked at her with a smile and a hint of optimism in his eyes, saying, "Don't give up 'til it's over, okay? C'mon." He put his hand out to help her up.

Serena slowly took it, hoping she could get up this time. She attempted to push herself up again, and Ash pulled her up as hard as he could getting her off the ground, catching her as if he was holding her in a comforting embrace.

Serena opened her eyes, realizing that this boy may have just saved her life. "There you go!" Ash giggled. "I think we should get back to the campsite. Okay? C'mon." Ash kept holding Serena's hand as they made their way to the forest exit.

Serena's heart began to beat a little. How could a boy this kind and compassionate have no teammates in the forest? This was the first time anyone at camp ever truly tried to help her not feel so afraid of everything. For some reason, she felt...safe with him. Unlike Gary and Cross, Serena felt this boy really could protect her. She continued to stare at Ash along their trip out.

--

Eventually, Ash and Serena arrived back the entryway, where his mother, Professor Oak, Gary and Cross were waiting for them.

"Hey, Mom! Professor Oak! We made it!" Ash called out. Delia ran to her son and picked him up with a spin in the air and a hug. "Oh Ash!" she cried. "I'm so happy you're safe! You're not hurt, are you?"

"Mom, stop worrying, I'm fine!" Ash smiled.

"Hmph. Momma's boy," scoffed Cross.

Grace came up to Serena and knelt down to her. "When Cross and Gary came back without you, I feared the worst. Are you all right, sweetie?"

"Mm-hm..." Serena sniffled a bit, wiping away some tears.

Ash gasped when he heard what Grace said. "Wait...Gary? You just came back without her?"

"I don't see why that's any of YOUR business," said Gary. "She's just a Slowpoke crybaby trying to catch up with us."

Serena opened her mouth to say something, but before any words could come out, Professor Oak called out, "All right campers, gather 'round! It's time to tally up the scores and see which team found the most Pokemon." Cross took Serena's hand and pulled her away from Ash. "C'mon, Serena, let's get going. And for Arceus' sake, stop crying already. You're gonna get waterlogged."

"Well Ash," said Gary, smirking. "Now we'll see who's kicked whose butt at finding Pokemon, won't we?"

Ash suddenly went stiff from hearing this. After all that time searching for Pokemon in that forest, all he had found was a Poliwag. In helping Serena, he had completely forgotten about the whole activity!

The four children gathered around the eccentric professor. Ash clenched a fist sweating bullets while Gary and Cross glanced at him with a grin. Serena softly rubbed the handkerchief tied around her knee, eyeing the fidgeting boy who had rescued her.

"Now according to what Gary told me, his team found a grand total of...15 Pokemon! Very impressive, indeed!"

Gary puffed out his chest with pride as several girl campers cheered for him. "Heh, it was all too easy! Only expected of the great Oak name!" he chuckled.

"There was absolutely no challenge here," smirked Cross. "Not like anything was gonna stop us anyhow."

Professor Oak turned to Ash, who was starting to feel oozy in his stomach. "And Ash," he said, "After spending so much time in Viridian Forest, surely you must have found quite a few Pokemon yourself. Care to tell us how many?"

Ash glanced around in nervousness at everyone watching him. His mom and Serena's mom were waiting with anticipation, Gary and Cross crossed their arms with smirks on their faces, and Serena quietly watched with her hand on her heart.

"Yeah, c'mon, Ashy-boy!" said Gary. "How many, huh?"

Ash gulped as he realized there was no way out of this one. Lowering his head, he let out a sigh, and gave his answer in a low whisper.

"...One."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cross said, cocking his ear. "How many did you say you found?"

"I only found one," Ash said, his voice still low. "Just a Poliwag."

Gary and Cross burst out laughing. "You gotta be kidding me!" Gary said, holding his side. "All that time in that big forest and you only found one measly Poliwag?!"

"I always knew you were pathetic at camp this year," guffawed Cross, "But come ON! Not even newbie Trainers would score THAT low!"

"It can't be helped," Professor Oak shrugged. "Since the score is 15 to 1, the winner of the final camp activity is...Gary Oak and his team!"

Gary and Cross high-fived each other, proud of their teamwork and skills that earned them the victory they deserved. Everyone in the audience cheered for them--except for Delia and Grace. They were looking at their own children with worry and concern. Ash still hung his head down low in defeat as Serena twiddled her thumbs, not knowing what to say to him.

"Congratulations on winning every single activity at camp this year, boys!" Professor Oak told Gary and Cross. "And thank all of you campers, for attending my summer camp! Everything you've done today will no doubt reflect the bright futures you'll have as Trainers, out in the big, wide world of Pokemon!" All the campers except Ash and Serena cheered as they got back to their parents, getting ready to go home.

Serena stepped up closer to Ash. "Um...excuse me? Ash?"

Ash stood silent.

"I... I'm sorry you lost. I...I hope you're not mad at me..."

Ash slowly lifted his head up, and turned to Serena. "Mad?" he said. "Why would I be mad at you? You didn't do anything wrong. All that matters is that you're okay."

Serena put her hand on her heart again and let out a small smile. Ash then looked over angrily at Gary and Cross. "It's THEM I'm mad at." He started marching up to the two boys. Serena tried to follow, but she suddenly felt her mother's hand on her shoulder.

"Serena. I don't think you should get mixed up with them right now. You've been through enough today." Grace turned Serena around as she took a towel to clean her up.

Gary and Cross noticed Ash marching up to them. "Hey, loser," Gary said. "What was that you said this morning? About 'kicking my butt'?"

"We totally creamed you fair and square," said Cross. "Here, and every other activity. Some Trainer you're gonna be."

"I'm not mad about losing," Ash said shaking his fist. "I'm mad about...you and her!" He pointed to Serena.

"You mean the crybaby?" Gary said. "What about her?"

"I found her lost, hurt and crying in that forest. And you just left her there?! How could you do that?!"

Cross rolled his eyes. "Not our fault. She's the one who ran off during that Beedrill attack. If anything, it's her own fault."

"You promised her mom you'd protect her!" Ash argued back, raising his voice a bit. "You're her teammates!"

"Hey, we were gonna come back once we won," Gary said. "That crybaby would've slowed us down anyway.

Ash suddenly snapped at that remark. He grabbed Gary by his shirt collar, almost shaking. "You--you left Serena alone and scared in that forest just so you could win?!? You...you..." No words could even begin to describe how furious Ash was right now. He couldn't believe how cruel and heartless Gary and Cross would be to do such a thing to an innocent girl. He really wanted to punch Gary right in the face.

Cross grabbed Gary by the arms, pulling him away, and Gary kicked Ash off of him, sending the boy splashing into a mud puddle.

"AGH!"

Serena gasped in horror at the intense scene as her mother was taking her to the car.

Ash struggled to sit up, wiping mud away from his eyes and face. He looked up to see Gary and Cross looming over him.

"You went into that forest to find Pokemon, and what do you find?" asked Gary. "A Poliwag and a crybaby."

"Maybe if you had just minded your own business," said Cross, "You would've won. That's what you get for helping people who aren't worth it."

"If you keep sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong, you'll NEVER be a Pokemon Master." Gary sneered down on Ash. "Face it. You're a failure and a good-for-nothing. Just like your dad. You'll never win anything." With that, Cross kicked one last splash of mud in Ash's face before walking away with Gary.

Serena was sitting in the backseat of her mother's car, watching Ash with tears in her eyes. Ash turned his head to look at her, too. All they could do was stare into each others' eyes as Grace's car drove away, never averting their gazes until each faded from the others' sight.

--

Ash had stayed silent all the rest of that evening. All the while his mom was driving them home from camp, the boy just had a disposition as if he got severely grounded for doing something naughty. When they eventually got home, Ash willingly took a bath to wash away the mud he was pushed into, without whining against it, something unlike Ash at all; he usually hated taking baths after a long day. Even after changing into his pajamas, Ash didn't bother to come downstairs to watch TV, play with his Pokemon toys or even come sit at the dinner table as Delia was cooking. All he could do was go to his room, pull his shades down and lie on his bed, all without so much as a whisper.

An hour passed as Delia got her food out of the oven. "Ash!" she called, "Dinner's ready!"

No answer.

"I made double deep dish pizza pot pie, your favorite!"

Still no answer.

Delia was now definitely sure something was unusually wrong with Ash. Normally a single whiff of her son's favorite recipe would bolt him right to the table in a nanosecond, his mouth drooling with excitement for what she's fixed up. Being the best cook in Pallet Town, it only came natural. So you could imagine how worried Delia was getting when not even her cooking could get Ash to come downstairs. "Oh...if he's not coming down for dinner, then he must feel absolutely awful tonight..." she thought. Acting on natural motherly instinct, she walked up the stairs to see how her son was doing.

The entire hour Ash spent in his room was desolate and silent throughout. He had been smelling the delicious aroma of his mom's cooking this whole time but tonight, he didn't care. He wasn't hungry. Ash was usually ALWAYS hungry, but he uncharacteristcally wasn't at this dinnertime. All he could think about tonight was what happened today at summer camp. All season long he had been trying to be the best he could be with Pokemon, so he could be a great Pokemon Trainer when he grew up, just like his dad. His neighbor Gary's grandfather Professor Oak was a brilliant Pokemon researcher, and since both kids' parental figures were big heroes to them when it came to Pokemon, Ash and Gary seemed to be destined rivals from very early ages.

The thing was Gary had more wins than Ash had at pretty much everything; proper Poke Ball throwing techniques, knowledges of type advantages during Pokemon battles, preparations for traveling, you name it. No matter the activity or competition, Ash would alway try and try to one-up Gary again and again, but every single time he was one step behind. It almost seemed like fate would make sure Ash would always lose to Gary in some frustrating or embarrassing fashion. None of the past losses got Ash down, however, as every one made the kid that much more determined and sure that he'd actually win next time.

But the loss against Gary today was different. Ash told himself that morning over and over that this camp activity would finally be the one. The one that would show just what kind of Pokemon Trainer he wanted to be. The one time he would take everything he learned at Professor Oak's summer camp seriously, put it to an advantageous use and finally come out on top. He wanted to make his mother proud today. The Pokemon hunt in Viridian Forest was his last chance.

And he blew it. Again.

Ash sniffled some more at this particular heart-crushing revelation. Tears started welling up in his eyes, his point of view making it look like he was drowning. That's when he heard a sound that made him stiff as a board. His mother knocking on his door.

"Ash? Honey?" She asked in concern. "Are...are you alright?"

This finally broke him.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAA!!!" Ash buried his face in his pillow, wailing and sobbing uncontrollably.

Delia slowly opened his door and sat next to him by the side of his bed. Never before had Delia seen her poor little baby so emotionally destroyed. Her son clearly needed her.

"Oh...Ash..." she sighed, putting her soft hand on Ash's shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie! Don't pay any attention to what those boys said to you. I still think you did great today!"

Great today, yeah right. Ash thought she was only saying that because she was his mother. He knew he messed up. He knew he let her down.

"M-m-m-mama?" he sobbed. "Will...will I... will I ever make any friends?"

Delia cocked her head. "Wh-what are you talking about? Of course you're going to make more friends, sweetheart! I mean, look at what you've done today. You've helped out that scared little girl who wasn't even on your team safely out of that forest! With that kind of compassion, I'm sure she's your friend already!"

Yeah, Ash saved her, but at what cost? As thanks for his compassion and heroism, all he got was another loss against Gary, mud kicked in his face, and seeing that girl ride away into the sunset, still with his mother's good-luck handkerchief.

"B-b-but..." Ash sniffled, "It was her last day at camp though...sh-she's p-probably going home to...wherever she lives...I'll p-probably never, ever see her again..." His tears were welling up once more. Clinging to his mother's skirt, Ash looked up to her helplessly, saying in between sniffles, "I-I'm solonely, Mom...Gary was the closest...thing I had to...a friend this summer camp...th-then Cross showed up...and...and..."

This was hurting Ash even more. Even though Ash and Gary had a rivalry since like infancy, they still had mutual respect for each other until Cross came this year. He just seemed to highten Gary's already-big ego, making the rivalry much less friendly over the summer and more competitive than what it had been before. Feeling like his only friend by that time was fading more and more, making him feel like an absolute failure, Ash buried his face in his mother's skirt and cried even harder.

"WAAAAA-HA-HA! WAAAAAAA!"

Delia embraced her son in close, one hand stroking his hair and the other patting his back. "Sshhhh. It's all right. Don't cry. Mommy's here." she whispered. Ash felt like his whole world was shattered, and the only thing on Delia's mind about all this was how to fix it all, to make her son see that what he did today was nothing to be ashamed of.

Then she had an idea of just what to say.

"You know...you have always said...that you wanted to be a Pokemon Master when you grow up...right?"

"W-well...yeah..." Ash sniffled. "But how can I be a Pokemon Master...i-if I don't have any friends?!"

"I noticed your lucky handkerchief tied around that girl's knee," said Delia. "I believe...the kindness you showed that girl...if you show that kindness to other Pokemon, I'm sure they can become your friends, too."

Delia pulled up Ash's bedroom shades, and the mother and son looked outside the window, seeing at the faraway mountains and other houses of Pallet Town moonlit across the vista, stars twinkling everywhere in the night sky.

"The best Trainers out there share a bond with their Pokemon through that kind of friendship and compassion. It creates a special power between them that takes them to wondrous places in the world. If you can do that...I believe you can reach that dream of yours."

Ash wiped away some tears and looked up to her in hopefulness. "You...you really think so, Mom?"

"I know so." Delia smiled, picking her son up and kissing him on the forehead. "Just follow your heart like you did today, and I believe the stars are the limit for you!"

Ash's crying was getting lighter and lighter from hearing his loving mother's assuring words. Grateful for them, the young child hugged his mom's neck, finally regaining the smile that kept him going so many times before.

"Now who's hungry?! I'll go get your favorite dinner ready in no time!" Delia cheered as she exited the room.

--

An airplane was flying through the night sky, on its way from the Kanto airport to the far-off region of Kalos. Little Serena was sitting near a window of the plane, holding a stuffed Eevee doll. From the window, she could see the lit houses of Pallet Town and Professor Oak's lab below her.

"Mommy?" Serena turned to her mom sitting next to her. "That boy got bullied...because of me. Will...will I ever see him again?"

Grace smiled and said, "Don't worry, honey. With a heart as big as his, I'm sure you'll see each other once more. Just you wait."

Ash could see the lights of the plane flying by his house in the sky from his bedroom. Even though neither him nor Serena could really see each other, they had a feeling deep within each of them that they were. Ash looked up at the plane with a hopeful smile, as did Serena looking down on his house, with a glisten in her eyes.

"Thank you..." Serena said in her head. "I...hope...when I'm braver...we...we can see each other again..." She touched the handkerchief on her knee. "Someday..."

"Serena, was it?" Ash said in his head. "If we do see each other again...let's go on a big adventure someday..."

THE END