Summer of Discovery! (Japanese:ポケモン・サマーキャンプ！ライバル三人組登場！！Pokémon Summer Camp! Enter the Rival Trio!!) is the 39th episode ofPokémon the Series: XY, and the 838th episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on August 14, 2014 and in the United States on October 11, 2014.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
It's time for Professor Sycamore's annual Pokémon summer camp, and Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie have been invited! The weeklong event is designed to build an even deeper bond between Trainers and their Pokémon. Of course, Team Rocket is on the scene too, disguised as camp chefs.
Soon, our heroes are making new friends: dancer Tierno and his nimble Squirtle, shutterbug Trevor and his feisty Charmander, and performer Shauna and her haughty Bulbasaur. Thanks to Serena's Pokévision video, Shauna is already a big fan! After a friendly battle, the new friends talk about their dreams for the future, and Serena realizes she's not sure about the purpose of her journey...
Plot
Ash andhis friends arrive at the seasidePokémon Summer Camp, having all been invited to enjoy the week-long event byProfessor Sycamore. Meanwhile,Team Rocket, who have been hired as chefs for the camp, are carrying food while they pass by and see Ash and his friends, having known that they would attend the camp, and quietly discuss plans to stealPikachu and everyone's Pokémon. However, they are interrupted by the custodian,Madame Catherine, who keeps a close eye on them.
After a brief catch up, Sycamore's assistantSophie assigns Ash and his friends to the Froakie cabin, which therefore identifies the group as "Team Froakie". The group takes a moment to look around the cabin, and like the overall conditions. While Ash looks out the window,Clemont notes that the summer camp is somewhat reminiscent of the time Ash andSerena first met. Ash agrees and tells Serena that they should make this experience a good one, which she concurs. As Ash looks out the window, he sees an ongoing battle between aSquirtle andConkeldurr outside. Ash and his friends rush outside to watch the battle, and they are all impressed at Squirtle's mobility. The Squirtle's Trainer then shows off his "dance" methods of battling, much to the dismay of his opponent. Squirtle uses its dance techniques to quickly dodge Conkeldurr's attacks, and soon defeats Conkeldurr withSkull Bash. Afterwards, Conkeldurr's Trainer admits that he has never had quite a unique battle, while Squirtle's Trainer remarks that's his battling style. Ash, impressed, comes up and challenges the Trainer, who introduces himself asTierno fromSantalune City, a part of "Team Squirtle". Meanwhile, Tierno quickly takes notice of Serena, and recognizing her, quickly runs off. He comes back with a girl, who affirms Serena is the right person. The girl,Shauna, explains that she saw herPokévisionvideo, much to Serena's surprise. Clemont then remembers his rather disastrous Pokévision, and hopes no one has seen it. However,Bonnie says that she made the video so that everyone could view it, much to Clemont's dismay.
The group, along with Tierno and Shauna, goes to the nearbyPokémon Center, where Tierno heals up his Squirtle. Meanwhile, Shauna elaborates on how Pokévision videos are viewed and quickly shows Serena's Pokévision, which has a relatively large amount of views. Shauna then shows one of her many Pokévisions, particularly one with herBulbasaur, while she reveals that she also has other videos on offer. Upon Shauna's request, Serena sends out herFennekin, and Shauna takes a liking to her. Meanwhile, Shauna sends out her Bulbasaur, while Pikachu and Fennekin try to greet it. However, much to their dismay, Bulbasaur simply refuses to interact with them and turns away.Chespin quickly pops out of itsPoké Ball to happily join the interaction, andFroakie also joins. Serena gives them allPoké Puffs to enjoy, but Bulbasaur refuses to take one until Shauna directly gives one to it. Shauna explains that Bulbasaur isn't very sociable, and is only willing to interact with her. Meanwhile, as the Pokémon play, a hyperCharmander quickly joins in and runs around spouting flames in happiness, much to the surprise of many of the Pokemon, while Chespin catches fire. However, Squirtle douses the flames. Soon, Charmander's Trainer joins them, slowly climbing up the stairs, tired from chasing down Charmander. He apologizes to Tierno and Shauna for being late. As he comes in, he quickly apologizes for the small chaos caused by his Charmander, and introduces himself asTrevor. The group says that everything is alright, however. As he looks up to see the group, he also quickly recognizes Serena, and explains that Shauna had forced him into watching her Pokévision, leaving Serena feeling flattered by this. Tierno exclaims that the video was extremely cute, and Shauna explains that Tierno is very easily infatuated. Trevor also takes a picture of Pikachu, and explains to Ash that he aims to see every Pokémon in thePokédex. Meanwhile, the children all introduce themselves to one another, and Ash also states that his dream is to become aPokémon Master. This surprises Serena, which causes her to become slightly curious about pursuing a dream of her own.
Later, everyone in the Summer Camp is brought to orientation. Professor Sycamore introduces the group to the camp custodian, Madame Catherine, as well as the chefs, which are Team Rocket in disguise. Sycamore explains that the Summer Camp is to teach Trainers to bond with their Pokémon. Each team must compete together in a series of activities to win the most points, and the best team will be recorded in the Summer Camp Hall of Fame. Catherine also mentions thatKalosChampionDiantha had participated in the Summer Camp when she was younger, and managed to place in the Hall of Fame. Sycamore then initiates that everyone participates in a one-on-one battle, with no points gained, so that the participants can all get to know each other. Ash, Serena, and Clemont choose Tierno, Shauna, and Trevor as their respective battle opponents. Bonnie serves as an audience for Ash's battle with Tierno. While Serena is battling Shauna, she feels nervous because she has never had an official Pokémon battle before, much to Shauna's dismay. She orders Fennekin to useFlamethrower, while Shauna orders Bulbasaur to useEnergy Ball. Despite thetype disadvantage, Bulbasaur manages to overpower Fennekin's attack, much to Serena's surprise. Meanwhile, as Clemont is battling Trevor, Charmander quickly manages to set Chespin on fire, which causes it to jump into the sand to douse the flame. During Ash's battle with Tierno, Froakie is quickly outmanoeuvred by Squirtle, and Squirtle manages to touch Froakie, which disrupts Froakie’sWater Pulse. Tierno is declared the winner, and the rest of the battles are completed.
While everyone is at dinner, the children all talk about their goals. Shauna aims to become a famousPokémon Performer, and Tierno hopes to form a dance unit with his Pokémon. Clemont reveals that he is an aspiring inventor, and presents hisAipom Arm, which impresses the Team Squirtle members. Meanwhile, Team Rocket gets a raise from Madame Catherine, as the food they had cooked received positive reviews.
Later Serena goes out on the dock to clear her head, while brushing Fennekin's tail. As she brushes, she makes note that all of her friends are pursuing their dreams, and is left wondering what her own goal is.
