When they returned to the camp, Professor Oak was holding up a Magikarp model and speaking at length.
Ash had only just sat down on the wooden bench when Blue plopped down right beside him.
Before he could even settle in, Leaf had already taken the seat on his other side.
Just then, a reddish-brown blur of light swept past the corner of his eye.
The young woman sitting nearby turned half her face toward them, the yellow ribbon woven through her braid reflecting tiny flecks of light, like sunset glow folded into maple syrup.
“Blue, you’re finally back.” The young woman twirled a mechanical pencil between her fingers.
A Pokémon Center badge was pinned to her khaki pinafore dress.
“You missed the best part!”
“Chloe!” Blue immediately leaned over, her eyes curving into crescents.
“This idiot insisted on lying in the grass and pretending to sleep!”
She deliberately nudged Ash with her elbow.
Chloe’s lips held a gentle smile as her fingers unconsciously curled around the gold-threaded ribbon at the end of her braid.
“Yesterday, Ash and Dad were discussing things until very late.
Then he stayed up even later writing his report.
It’s fine to let him rest a little more.”
“Ah—Chloe really is the best!” Ash dramatically clutched his chest and gave her a pair of damp, puppy-like eyes.
He deliberately leaned backward, nearly bumping the back of his head into Blue’s knee, which earned him a crisp flick to the forehead.
Sunlight passed through the vine-woven canopy, scattering tiny spots of light across Chloe’s khaki pinafore dress.
This young woman, who was originally supposed to appear only in the Pokémon Journeys storyline, had entered his field of view five years early because of Ash’s arrival.
From the first time he ran into her in the research institute’s backyard, to the late nights spent helping Professor Cerise organize data together, those quietly turning gears of fate had already carved her into his “Pallet Town daily life.”
On Chloe’s other side, a dog… no, a guy was sprawled out without a care in the world.
Dark skin, eyes that always seemed half-closed, and sneakers dangling lazily as he stared at the Pokémon playing in the distance.
Ash’s temple throbbed.
There was no need to explain who this guy was, right?
The “One-Ball Man” who had been cursed all the way onto trending searches—Goh.
“Bad luck.
How did I run into this guy?” Ash’s mouth twitched, and ten thousand alpacas stampeded through his heart.
He was clearly sitting with three beautiful, pleasant young women, yet this mood-killing guy just had to sit here too.
“Why doesn’t this guy go wreck the Wild Area instead?
Why did he have to come to summer camp and annoy people?” Ash irritably tugged at the zipper of his hoodie.
Thinking back to all the Pokémon this guy had roughly caught in the anime in his previous life, the furious complaints from fans still felt vivid in his mind.
Unable to hold back any longer, he pretended to lower his head and straighten his clothes, but in reality, he suddenly opened the system exchange interface in his consciousness.
A fluorescent blue screen opened across his vision, and he quickly swiped through the menu.
“Super Grimer Spray,” “Drifloon Trap,” “Confusion Berry Lollipop”…
Rows of prank items flashed before his eyes.
Reading their descriptions made the corner of his mouth curl into a dangerous arc.
He quickly scrolled through the system interface, his gaze sweeping over row after row of items.
Then, suddenly, one icon entered his sight.
He stopped at once, leaned in, and looked carefully.
His eyes lit up with excitement.
It was an item called the “Misfortune Dice.”
The description read: After this die is thrown, the bound target will suffer various unlucky incidents for the next hour.
The effect depends on the number rolled.
This item can only be used once per day.
Ash’s lips curled into a wicked smile.
His gaze secretly slid toward Goh, who was still crossing his legs nearby, completely unaware that danger was approaching.
“Hehe.
I choose you.” Ash secretly laughed to himself and clicked exchange without hesitation.
The next second, a black die appeared in his palm.
Ash looked up at Goh, who was still sitting there with his legs crossed and an impatient look on his face.
A subtle curve rose at the corner of Ash’s lips, and a sly light flashed through his eyes.
His fingers lightly turned the Misfortune Dice inside his pocket.
He silently recited the binding command in his mind.
In an instant, a faint black mist drifted from the die and wound toward Goh like threads.
Goh seemed to sense something.
His brows furrowed slightly, and he shivered instinctively.
But after finding nothing unusual, he went back to looking completely indifferent.
Ash’s heartbeat sped up slightly, full of both anticipation and nervousness.
The moment Professor Oak’s lecture ended, the students scattered in every direction like Pokémon released from their leashes.
Ash leaned against a tree trunk, pretending to nap.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Goh’s figure flash through the bushes.
Sure enough, this guy was still the same as in the original story.
“Ash!” Blue came running over with a woven basket full of berries.
The bells in her hair chimed brightly.
“Want to go fishing by the stream with us?”
“You go ahead.” Ash slipped his hand into his pocket, his fingertips rubbing the Misfortune Dice hidden inside.
The cool touch made the corner of his mouth lift.
“I just remembered I still have some data to check.”
Once his companions’ figures disappeared at the end of the winding stone path, he headed in the direction where Goh had vanished.
Although the Misfortune Dice had no distance limit, he still wanted to follow and witness it with his own eyes.
…
Ash carefully moved through the dense woods.
The dry branches under his feet cracked softly.
He nervously glanced at Goh’s back up ahead.
Luckily, he had not been noticed.
Ash felt that the time had come.
He took a deep breath and pulled the Misfortune Dice from his pocket.
He quickly threw the die, eyes fixed tightly on it as it tumbled through the air.
With a soft ding, the die landed on the ground and stopped steadily on six.
Almost at the exact same moment, a dark cloud suddenly drifted across the previously clear sky, blocking the sunlight.
Goh looked up at the sky in confusion.
Before he could react, a Beedrill flew out from the trees nearby and charged at him in fury.
It turned out that Goh had accidentally stepped on a Weedle just now, angering the Beedrill.
Right after that, one Beedrill after another flew out.
“Ah!
Damn it!” Goh’s face went pale with fright.
He cursed loudly while dodging the Beedrill’s attacks in a panic.
Ash hid behind a tree and watched Goh’s miserable state, feeling extremely satisfied inside.
Goh ran for his life, but because he was not watching the road, he accidentally stepped into a hole in the ground.
His whole body pitched forward, and he fell face-first into the mud.
His face and body were covered in dirt and leaves, making him look utterly ridiculous.
Ash forced back his laughter and continued watching Goh.
After all, it was a six.
There was no way it would end just like this, right?
Sure enough, the enraged Beedrill had no intention of letting him off easily.
They circled outside the hole, letting out sharp buzzing sounds.
Their wings stirred up gusts of wind, making the surrounding leaves rustle loudly.
A larger Beedrill let out a piercing cry, as if giving an attack order.
The rest of the Beedrill immediately swarmed forward and unleashed a wild barrage on Goh.
They stabbed at him with their tail stingers and twin needles.
Goh’s screams echoed from inside the hole.
“Ah!
Help!
Damn Beedrill!
Stay away!”
His voice was full of fear and despair, sounding truly miserable.
Ash could not help poking his head out, wanting to get a clearer look.
He saw Goh curled up in the corner of the hollow, hands over his head.
Several red, swollen bumps had already risen across his body from the Beedrill stings.
His clothes had been torn into ragged strips, and his face was full of terror and embarrassment.
“Haha, serves you right for being so arrogant,” Ash muttered softly, a flash of satisfaction passing through his eyes.
However, the Beedrill’s attack was still not over.
They seemed to sense that Goh had not learned enough of a lesson yet, and they stabbed at him even more frantically.
“He isn’t going to get stung to death by Beedrill, is he?” Ash wondered.
After all, although he was extremely dissatisfied with what Goh had done, if he really died just like this…
That would be letting him off way too easily!
At that moment, the system’s mechanical voice sounded in Ash’s mind at just the right time.
[Please rest assured, host.
People who affect the plot cannot die.]
Hearing the system’s guarantee, Ash let out a long breath.
“Oh.
Then I’m relieved.
There’ll be plenty more chances to play with him later.”
He leaned back against the tree trunk, a relaxed smile returning to his face.
When he looked over again, the Beedrill’s attack was still fierce, but Goh seemed to have adapted to the pain.
His screams were no longer as miserable as before.
Just as Goh felt he could no longer hold on and his consciousness began to blur, a rush of hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Professor Oak finally appeared.
“Stop!
Stop right now!” Professor Oak shouted loudly, trying to calm the crazed Beedrill while quickly pulling out a Poké Ball.
With a flash of white light, a majestic Arcanine appeared before them.
Its muscular body was tense, its gaze sharp and filled with intimidation.
Its Ability was probably Intimidate.
“Arcanine, use Flamethrower!” Professor Oak decisively ordered.
Arcanine immediately opened its mouth, and a blazing stream of fire shot out, sweeping toward the Beedrill.
The intense heat warped the air.
Frightened by the sudden attack, the Beedrill quickly retreated.
Threatened by the flames, the Beedrill circled in the air a few more times.
After letting out several unwilling cries, they finally gave up their attack and flew away.
Goh crawled out of the hole in a wretched state.
His hair was an absolute mess, his face and body were covered in red, swollen sting marks, and his clothes were torn and ragged.
He looked just like a wounded soldier who had escaped from a battlefield.
He leaned weakly against a tree, gasping heavily.
Professor Oak quickly walked over to him, his face full of worry and reproach.
“You child, how could you run into the forest on your own and even provoke a swarm of Beedrill?
Do you know how dangerous that was?”
Goh lowered his head, not daring to meet Professor Oak’s eyes.
His heart was full of regret and shame.
Watching from the side, Ash felt a little disappointed that the show had ended so quickly.
But the hour was not over yet.
The misfortune was far from finished.
“Goh, you’d better enjoy this properly,” Ash thought.
…
Ash returned to the camp with a brilliant smile on his face.
Leaf, Blue, and Chloe were sitting together, playing with the flowers they had just picked and planning to weave them into flower crowns.
Seeing Ash return, all three of them looked up, cheerful smiles appearing on their faces.
“Ash, where did you go?
Come play with us!” Blue called enthusiastically.
“Sure!” Ash ran over and plopped down beside them.
For a while, the camp was filled with their laughter.
Meanwhile, Goh, who had been brought back by Professor Oak, was not so lucky.
He limped along, his heart full of grievance and dissatisfaction over what had just happened.
Suddenly, a scream of “Ah!” tore through the camp’s cheerful atmosphere.
A crisp crack came from the ground.
The layer of earth beneath Goh’s feet instantly collapsed, and his entire body dropped straight into the hole like a stone.
He fell so quickly that all anyone saw was his terrified, twisted face left above the ground.
“Diglett!” someone sharp-eyed shouted first.
Everyone’s gaze snapped in that direction.
A Diglett shot out of the hole with a whoosh.
Its small pink nose twitched angrily, and its bead-like eyes widened as though warning the guy who had disturbed their peace.
Immediately after, cries of “Dig!
Dig!” rang out all around.
Dozens of furious Diglett burst out of the ground from every direction.
It turned out that this seemingly flat patch of grass had long been dug into a crisscrossing maze of tunnels by them, and the unlucky Goh had stepped right into their territory.
Goh’s screams mixed with the Diglett’s angry cries and exploded through the woods.
The Diglett showed no mercy, ramming his backside with their heads.
Some even bit onto his pant legs and tore at them wildly.
Goh was tormented until he was covered in dust and dirt.
His already ragged clothes became even more unsightly, and several blades of grass were stuck in his hair.
He looked just like a vagrant who had crawled out of a garbage heap.
Professor Oak shook his head helplessly and quickly called for people to pull him out.
Then he took out some Pokémon food and began soothing the furious Diglett.
Only then did their anger gradually subside.
One by one, they burrowed back into their tunnels, and the camp finally returned to peace.