Summer Camp

"Still haven't found those two kids?"

Professor Kukui stood anxiously in a clearing, gazing into the deep, gloomy forest.

This was a forest on Melemele Island in the Alola region, home to a large number of wild Pokémon.

To allow the children to observe the ecology of wild Pokémon up close, he had specially organized a summer camp here.

Many children signed up for the camp, and Professor Kukui had originally thought everything would go smoothly.

However, unexpectedly, the camp was disrupted by a group of frightened wild Pokémon that had been startled by Pokémon hunters. In the chaos, two children accidentally got separated from the group.

"Professor, no sign of them yet!" The assistant paused before continuing, "I've already sent out a Surskit to help with the search!"

Professor Kukui frowned and looked up at the sky, which was filled with thick, oppressive clouds.

It's going to rain…

He couldn't wait any longer.

"Get the other kids to safety first. I'll go deeper into the forest to look for them," Professor Kukui said.

"Yes, sir!"

The dense canopy blocked out the sunlight, casting a dim glow over the forest.

Denver hid behind a large tree, carefully observing the situation ahead.

In the distance, a large Kangaskhan was furiously searching the clearing, looking for them.

Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokémon, raises its baby in its pouch and never backs down from danger when protecting its child.

But this Kangaskhan's pouch was empty.

"Does it think we're the ones who stole its baby? Is that why it's chasing us so relentlessly?"

Denver sighed helplessly. He was just a five-year-old kid!

"Did it leave?"

A cautious voice came from behind him.

The Kangaskhan didn't seem to notice them and turned to walk in another direction.

Denver let out a breath of relief and turned to look at the girl beside him, who was wearing a white dress with small floral patterns. Grinning, he said, "It's gone!"

Now, they just had to wait for Professor Kukui to find them.

Hearing that the Kangaskhan had left, five-year-old Lillie sighed in relief.

She leaned against the tree trunk, hugging her knees, and glanced at the unfamiliar boy beside her. In a small, polite voice, she said, "Thank you."

Earlier, when the wild Pokémon had charged at her, she would have been in serious trouble if it weren't for this boy.

When the chaos separated them from the main group, she had been so terrified that she had no idea what to do…

She regretted listening to her mother and coming to this summer camp.

"Heh, don't mention it!" Denver scratched his head. So this girl was Lillie, huh? She still looked like a little kid!

Five years ago, he had been reborn into the Pokémon world from Earth, becoming part of an ordinary family.

As a passionate Pokémon fan with dreams of becoming a Trainer, Denver had been fascinated by Pokémon ever since he learned to crawl.

But the Pokémon world had strict rules—only children who turned ten could receive their first Pokémon and officially become Trainers.

At just five years old, Denver was naturally not satisfied with waiting, but no one took him seriously. On top of that, his parents believed he was too young and never let him have a Pokémon of his own.

They wouldn't even let him go into the wild—saying it was too dangerous, full of aggressive Pokémon.

So, when Denver heard that Professor Kukui was organizing a summer camp to observe wild Pokémon up close, he immediately begged his parents to sign him up.

What he hadn't expected was that the main female character from Pokémon Sun and Moon, Lillie, would also be at the camp.

Well, at least Lillie would be fine.

Professor Kukui should find them soon!

Feeling optimistic, Denver became more talkative. Seeing Lillie looking worried and staying silent, he greeted her warmly.

"Hi, Lillie! I'm Denver! Nice to meet you!"

"Huh? You know me?" Lillie looked confused.

Oops, slipped up!

But Denver reacted quickly.

"I heard Professor Kukui call you that!"

"Oh, I see." Lillie nodded in understanding.

She looked at the boy in front of her, his grin revealing a pair of little fangs, and couldn't help but ask:

"You can still smile in a situation like this?"

Denver patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry! We'll be fine!"

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, a tremendous force slammed into the tree behind them, sending both Denver and Lillie tumbling forward.

The tree crashed down, and the enraged, out-of-control Kangaskhan glared furiously at the two human children.

The humans stole its baby!

Unforgivable!

Kangaskhan's muscles bulged as it gathered all its strength into a powerful right punch, charging straight for the girl.

Seeing this, Denver's heart skipped a beat.

Did his loud talking just lure the Kangaskhan back?!

"Lillie!" Denver shouted.

Lillie's young face was frozen in fear.

Her body wouldn't move, trembling as if paralyzed.

Plop!

A raindrop fell.

Then more followed, turning into a downpour.

Heavy rain began to fall.

Lillie stared blankly at the charging Kangaskhan.

All sound faded from her ears.

Just as she thought she was about to die under its fist, a rock suddenly struck Kangaskhan from the side.

"Hey! Big guy, come after me!" Denver yelled.

The rampaging Kangaskhan immediately turned its attention to him and roared before charging toward him instead.

Lillie was momentarily stunned—she was… saved.

Denver's heart pounded wildly as he watched the furious Pokémon rushing toward him. He turned and ran as fast as he could.

But he was just a five-year-old kid. The enraged Kangaskhan roared, gathering blinding white energy in its mouth before unleashing a Hyper Beam.

The powerful blast hit near Denver, sending him flying and crashing onto the ground.

Kangaskhan panted heavily, raising its fist as it stepped forward.

Denver gritted his teeth through the pain.

"We'll be fine! I have the protagonist's luck! Worst case, I break a leg—then I'll find Ho-Oh to heal me when I become a Trainer!"

The wind from its fist scattered the rain, closing in fast.

Denver squeezed his eyes shut.

But the expected pain never came.

Instead, a clear, melodic cry rang through the forest.

"Sursk~ Sursk~!"

The sound grew closer.

Denver opened his eyes to see a Surskit zipping through the trees, shooting a stream of sparkling bubbles at Kangaskhan.

Bubble Beam!

It was… Professor Kukui's assistant's Surskit!

Denver was overjoyed.

But then he noticed something—there was no one following it.

That meant… only Surskit had found them!

Kangaskhan's Mega Punch was interrupted. It turned, its red eyes locking onto Surskit, and roared furiously.

Boom!

A Hyper Beam shot out, slamming into Surskit and sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Sursk…!"

Surskit struggled to get up with its tiny legs.

This was bad! Kangaskhan was much stronger than it!

"Denver… what do we do?"

Lillie had realized the situation too—Professor Kukui wasn't here yet, only Surskit had found them…

"Don't be scared, Lillie!"

Denver didn't look back. His mind raced.

All the Pokémon knowledge from his past life resurfaced one after another.

But nothing seemed useful in this situation.

Still, looking at Surskit and their dire predicament, Denver clenched his fists.

Damn it! There's only one thing left to try!

"Surskit! Can you follow my commands?" Denver shouted.

"Sursk!"

Surskit dodged a punch and responded loudly.

"Great!"

Denver kept his eyes locked on the battle in front of him.

Surskit kept dodging Kangaskhan's attacks, moving even faster than before!

Could it be…

Surskit's ability was Swift Swim!

Swift Swim: In rainy weather, the Pokémon's Speed is doubled!

In this situation, Surskit could be used just like a Rain Team Pokémon.

It was worth a shot!

"Now, use Agility!" Denver shouted.

By using Agility to maximize its Speed, Surskit could avoid Kangaskhan's attacks as much as possible while looking for an opening to strike, compensating for the difference in power.

A blue glow surrounded Surskit as its speed increased even further under the influence of Psychic energy!

Kangaskhan's attack missed again, causing it to grow even more furious. A violent red aura erupted from its body.

Now's the time!

"Surskit, wait for the right moment—Bubble Beam!"

"Swish~!"

A stream of sparkling bubbles shot toward Kangaskhan in a powerful blast.

With the rain enhancing the strength of Water-type moves, Bubble Beam became even more powerful, strong enough to threaten Kangaskhan's sturdy body.

Lillie was completely stunned.

Having read many books since childhood, she was knowledgeable about Pokémon.

Although she wasn't an expert, she could tell what was happening—this boy, Denver, was using Surskit's ability and the weather to fight back against the powerful Kangaskhan!