CHAPTER 48

048: Food, Gary's Trick!!

"You were late earlier because your friend Goh's shoes got dirty from walking down the Pallet Town trail, and then he went to the public restroom near the town entrance to clean them?"

When Ash suddenly brought up the earlier delay and asked Koharu (Xiaochun) to explain, Stephanie (Xiaolan), Shauna, and Serena, who had been sitting nearby, felt a flicker of uncertainty. They hadn't questioned it much at the time, but now that the matter had been raised again, their curiosity was piqued.

Only after hearing Koharu's quiet, honest answer did the girls exchange glances. The pieces fell into place.

Koharu and her childhood friend Goh (Xiaohao) had arrived late for the Indigo Plateau Summer Camp's departure. According to Koharu, Goh had been dissatisfied with the mud on his shoes from the dirt roads outside Pallet Town. So, just before heading to the pickup point, he took a detour to clean his shoes at the nearby public restroom.

But what stood out and what made everyone around raise their eyebrows was that when Goh boarded the bus ahead of Koharu, he casually told everyone that the reason for their delay was because Koharu wasn't feeling well and had to recover before they left.

Stephanie and the others were particularly attentive to nuances. One glance at Koharu's gentle, genuine expression told them everything. She hadn't made up a story. She wasn't hiding anything. She had simply told the truth.

Which meant... Goh had lied.

He had twisted the situation to shift the blame onto his friend, letting Koharu take the fall to preserve his own pride. He had deliberately misled the others with false concern and in doing so, undermined someone who trusted him.

It was one thing to be late. But to lie about it and more importantly, to throw a close friend under the bus was an entirely different matter.

The subtle warmth the girls may have felt toward Goh evaporated almost instantly. Stephanie, Shauna, and Serena all exchanged looks of shared disapproval. Their silent understanding was unmistakable: their impression of Goh had just plummeted.

Even Gary, Tieruno, and Trevor, who hadn't paid the issue much mind before, were now glancing at each other in confusion and distaste.

"Koharu, did you know that Goh said just now"

"Ahem!!" Before Stephanie could finish, Ash let out a deliberate cough from the row behind them, interrupting her mid-sentence.

He shot her a look not cold, but clearly meaningful. Ash knew what she was about to say. And although Stephanie had every right to expose Goh's lie, Ash believed it wasn't the right moment.

Goh and Koharu had grown up together in Vermilion City. Their bond wasn't something new acquaintances should interfere with, no matter how well-meaning. It wasn't up to Stephanie or anyone here to plant doubt in Koharu's heart about a friend she'd known since childhood.

Ash's goal in revisiting the question wasn't to embarrass Koharu or publicly shame Goh. It was to let everyone else especially Gary, Serena, and the other campers see Goh's true nature for themselves.

If Goh wanted to play games and save face by manipulating people's impressions, Ash would give him rope. Enough rope to trip on when the time came.

And when it came to Serena well, Ash cared more about her opinion than he'd ever admit.

So when Stephanie fell silent at Ash's cue, Koharu blinked, still confused by the tension in the air. She turned toward Stephanie with a puzzled expression and asked, softly:

"Just now? What happened just now?"

But this time, after catching Ash's subtle hint, Xiaolan wisely chose not to expose Goh's (Xiaohao's) lie again.

"It's nothing," she said lightly, keeping her tone casual. "We were just talking about when we get to the forest camp later our cabin still has space for one more girl."

She turned to Koharu (Xiaochun), her smile warm and inviting.

"Xiaochun, would you like to stay in our cabin with us?" Xiaolan asked kindly.

Compared to Goh, whose arrogance and manipulative behavior left a poor impression, Xiaolan had quickly come to appreciate Koharu's polite, gentle demeanor. There was something very likable about her quiet sincerity.

"Share a hut with you?" Koharu hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around the strap of her pink satchel. If she had the choice, she'd still prefer to stay close to Goh, her closest childhood friend.

But Xiaolan quickly added, "At summer camp, boys and girls stay in separate cabins, so you wouldn't be able to room with your friend anyway."

She smiled again, encouragingly. "If you join us, it'll be the four of us—me, Serena, and Shauna. The cabins are four to a room, and you'd complete ours."

Koharu blinked. She hadn't realized that boys and girls would be separated at the camp. Still a little anxious, she nodded after a moment.

"Well then… thank you, Xiaolan. I'd be happy to room with you," she said softly, trying her best to suppress the unease in her chest.

"Great!" Xiaolan beamed. "Now our dorm's full. Looks like we girls are ahead of Ash and Gary this time!"

With a little laugh, she turned slightly and introduced Koharu to the others. "Oh, right Xiaochun, let me introduce you. This is Ash, and this is Gary…"

~

~

Koharu's personality, quiet and reserved, was much like Serena's. While both girls were shy, Xiaolan and Shauna's bright, friendly energy balanced things out nicely. It didn't take long before Koharu started to relax. Bit by bit, she warmed up to Ash's group, finding herself slowly drawn into their easy camaraderie.

Just as she was beginning to feel more at ease, the bus began to pull away from the Pallet Town rest stop, engines humming softly beneath their seats.

They caught up with the lead vehicle, now en route to the Viridian Forest summer campgrounds where Professor Oak's seasonal youth program was held.

"Xiaochun do you still have any snacks in your bag?" a familiar voice asked.

It was Goh, now walking toward her from the front of the bus, one hand braced on the aisle seats as he moved.

"Huh? We just had lunch not long ago. Why are you already looking for something to eat?" Xiaolan asked coolly before Koharu could respond. Her voice had lost all warmth when speaking to Goh.

Koharu, still ever thoughtful, explained, "Xiaohao doesn't really like cilantro, and there was a lot in the food at lunch. He didn't eat much."

She then opened her pink satchel and began rummaging gently through it.

"Hey wait a second," she muttered, puzzled. "I could've sworn there was a bar of chocolate in here earlier. Where did it go?"

"Oh, you mean that chocolate bar from your bag?" Goh said nonchalantly. "I was hungry earlier and ate it."

Without a hint of apology, he added, "Got anything else in there?"

As he spoke, his eyes subtly flicked toward Ash, Gary, and the other students near the back of the bus, a calculating glint behind them.

Koharu blinked. "You already ate the chocolate… But that was the only snack I packed. What should I do now?"

Even now, she didn't scold him. She didn't express irritation. Instead, the kind-hearted Koharu only looked regretful that she didn't have more food to offer her friend.

The others Xiaolan, Shauna, Serena watched her with a mix of sympathy and disbelief. That Goh would take her food without asking, then expect more without remorse, only added to their growing dislike of him.

Xiaolan opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Gary raised a hand from his seat and spoke up smoothly.

"Koharu, I've got some food you can have. It's just emergency rations some canned goods and survival biscuits I packed from home. They're not exactly gourmet, but…"

He glanced sideways at Goh, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"I'm not sure if a picky eater who refuses cilantro could stomach them."

"Do you want some? I can grab a pack or two for you," he offered sincerely.

"Compressed biscuits and canned food… That's fine, right, Goh?" Koharu turned to her friend, seeking his approval as always.

Goh paused, then shrugged. "Sure, Master Gary. Thanks."

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