In the eyes of others, Blue was a lively, cute, and mischievous girl. Her face often wore a cheerful smile, as if she could chat openly with anyone.
But to Ash, these were merely appearances.
No one knew the secret Blue hid in her heart, nor did they realize what kind of little devil was encased within that cute exterior!
Unlike Ash and Gary, Blue, though also from Pallet Town, had moved away several years ago.
Her parents were talented researchers who had relocated their entire family to Saffron City after being hired by Silph Co..
However, some things happened later... Blue returned to Pallet Town two years ago. At that time, Oak went to Silph Co. to discuss a collaboration project, and on his return, he brought back a solitary Blue.
Blue's parents had vanished, suddenly disappearing one night without any warning!
After the incident, Oak mobilized his connections to investigate, but with no clues left behind, the investigation ultimately made no progress.
As for Silph Co., although they were quite apologetic and indeed intended to take good care of young Blue, they refused to disclose the research Blue's parents were conducting, citing trade secrets.
Ultimately, the search for Blue's parents could only be temporarily suspended.
Oak, considering Blue was all alone in Saffron City with no playmates, brought her back to Pallet Town.
In hindsight, this was undoubtedly the right decision.
After returning to Pallet Town, Blue, who had been down for a while, gradually cheered up. She quickly integrated with Ash and the other children, becoming lively and cheerful again.
However, what she truly thought inside, only she herself probably knew... It's actually quite lamentable; the children usually with Ash, though seemingly happy and constantly joking and playing, actually only shared one pair of parents... and that father was often away for years on end!
Blue's parents remained missing, Lila's parents' situation on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole was unknown, and although Gary still had his grandfather and sister, his parents had passed away in a car accident when he was very young... All things considered, these children of similar age in Pallet Town were actually all raised by Ash's mother, Delia.
Therefore, their relationship was naturally very close, especially Blue, who had almost made a habit of freeloading meals at Ash's house... "I should head back too, bye-bye!" Shortly after Blue left, Ash, having finished his morning play, also bid farewell to his Pokémon companions and headed out of the forest.
Just then, however, he suddenly heard an anxious cry.
"Everyone... where is everyone?!"
"Did a camper get lost? I should go check." Hearing the cry, Ash confirmed the direction and, accompanied by a few little ones who clung to him, hurried over.
Oak's summer camp had group activities for observing Pokémon in the wild. It was probably some child who had unfortunately gotten lost... At this moment, deep in the dense forest not far from Ash, a little girl, appearing to be about six or seven years old, was nervously shuffling her feet by a bush, her pretty little face filled with fear and unease.
Rustle, rustle~
"Ah!" The surrounding bushes suddenly rustled, startling the little girl. She lost her footing and fell to the ground.
But she had no time to complain now, only staring in terror at the source of the sound.
It wasn't until a Poliwag hopped in front of her that the girl's suspended heart temporarily settled, but all the suppressed grievances then burst forth.
"That's why I said I didn't want to come to summer camp at all... Mom!"
"Poli... Poliwag!" Looking at the little girl crying her eyes out, the Poliwag was completely bewildered. Fortunately, it knew that the person who could solve the problem had arrived.
It chirped twice to guide someone, then hopped away.
There was another rustle in the bushes, and the girl's crying was startled to an abrupt halt; she didn't even dare to breathe.
Fortunately, what appeared this time was not something strange, but a boy who looked about her age.
"Are you... alright?"
Seeing the girl wearing a straw hat and a pink dress, Ash was momentarily stunned before he reacted and stepped forward with concern to ask.
"My leg is hurt..." the girl said tearfully. She had just fallen, and her knee was scraped.
"It'll be fine if we just bandage it." Ash took out a handkerchief and carefully bandaged the girl's wound. "There, try to stand up."
"No! It still hurts so much, I can't stand up." The girl tried to move but still felt excruciating pain in her knee and couldn't help but cry again.
"Then... if you don't mind, I'll carry you back." Seeing this, Ash bent down, put one arm around the girl's waist, and the other arm through her bent legs, effortlessly scooping her up in a princess carry.
"Is this okay?" He lowered his head, asking for her opinion.
"Y-yes, I guess so~" The girl blushed and nodded slightly. She was now curled up in Ash's arms, too shy to say much.
There's an illustration here, viewable after the update.
But soon, she realized Ash walked very steadily; she didn't feel any bumps at all.
His embrace also gave her a very warm and reassuring feeling, and the fright she had just experienced seemed to dissipate considerably.
"Um... my name is Serena, thank you for saving me." The girl secretly glanced at Ash, saying gratefully in a low voice.
"I know."
"You know?" Serena was startled. They had just met today, how could this boy know her name?
"Uh... you're a camper, right? I've seen the list... I'm Ash, a local from Pallet Town." Ash blinked awkwardly, making up an excuse on the spot.
He had just been thinking about the original story, and it slipped out.
The somewhat similar original story was still the original story. Ash didn't expect that, even though he hadn't paid much attention to the summer camp, he would still encounter Serena here.
Over eight generations, the female lead who had the most intimate interactions with the original Ash, only to be shelved in the next season, left an unforgettable impression on Ash.
At the time, Ash was very excited watching the scene of her tiptoeing for a farewell kiss in the elevator... It's just a pity that with the Pokémon anime's rating, scenes above the neck couldn't be shown in detail.
Now that he had transmigrated into Ash, to actually meet Serena in childhood, it truly was a fated encounter~