When they returned to camp, Professor Oak was holding up a Magikarp model and giving a lengthy explanation.Chapter
Ash had barely sat down on the wooden bench when Green plopped down beside him.
Before he could settle in, Leaf took the seat on his other side.
A flash of auburn hair caught Ash’s eye.
The girl sitting nearby turned toward them, a yellow ribbon woven through her braid.
“Green, you’re finally back.” Chloe twirled a mechanical pencil between her fingers.
A Pokémon Center badge was pinned to her khaki pinafore dress.
“You missed the best part!”
“Chloe!” Green leaned toward her with a grin.
“This idiot insisted on lying in the grass and pretending to sleep!”
She nudged Ash with her elbow.
Chloe smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yesterday, Ash and Dad were talking until really late.
Then he stayed up even longer writing his report.
It’s fine to let him rest a little.”
“Ah, Chloe really is the best!” Ash pressed a hand to his chest and looked at her as if she’d just saved his life.
Ash deliberately leaned his upper body back toward Green until the back of his head nearly rested against her knee.
She immediately flicked him on the forehead.
Sunlight filtered through the vine-covered canopy, scattering small patches of light across Chloe’s dress.
In the original story, Chloe wasn’t supposed to appear until much later, during the Pokémon Journeys era.
But because of Ash, she had entered his life five years early.
From their first meeting in the backyard of the Cerise Laboratory to the late nights they spent helping Professor Cerise organize data, Chloe had gradually become part of Ash’s everyday life in Pallet Town.
On Chloe’s other side, Goh was sprawled out like a human Snorlax, completely at ease.
Dark skin, half-closed eyes, legs stretched out as he watched the Pokémon playing in the distance.
Ash’s temple throbbed.
There was no need to explain who this guy was, right?
The guy with enough plot armor to catch anything the writers threw his way Goh
Goh.
“Seriously?
How did I end up next to this guy?”
Ash was already cursing in his head.
He was sitting with Green, Leaf, and Chloe, yet this mood-killer had somehow ended up here too.
“Why doesn’t this guy go terrorize the Wild Area instead?
Why did he have to come to summer camp and annoy everyone?”
Ash tugged at the zipper of his hoodie.
Thinking back to the way Goh had caught so many Pokémon in the anime, Ash could still remember all the angry complaints from fans.
He had finally had enough.
Ash lowered his head as if he were fixing his clothes.
At the same time, he opened the system exchange interface in his mind.
A fluorescent blue screen appeared before him, and he began scrolling through the menu.
“Grimer Stink Spray.”
“Drifloon Snare.”
“Confusion Berry Pop.”
Rows of prank items passed before his eyes.
Their descriptions were enough to make Ash grin.
He kept scrolling.
Then one icon caught his attention.
Ash stopped and took a closer look.
His interest immediately shot up.
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 grinned and glanced toward Goh, who was still sitting nearby with his legs crossed, completely unaware of what Ash was planning.
“Hehe.
I choose you.”
Ash selected the exchange option.
A black die appeared in his palm.
He looked toward Goh again.
The boy was still sitting there with his legs crossed, impatient.
Ash rolled the Misfortune Dice between his fingers inside his pocket.
He recited the binding command in his mind.
A faint black mist drifted from the die and stretched toward Goh in thin strands.
Goh seemed to notice something.
He frowned and shivered, but when he found nothing unusual, he ignored it.
Ash’s heart beat faster.
He was excited, but also a little nervous about what would happen.
The moment Professor Oak’s lecture ended, the students scattered in every direction.
Ash leaned against a tree trunk and pretended to nap.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Goh disappear into the bushes.
Just like in the original story.
“Ash!”
Green came running over with a woven basket full of berries.
The little bells in her hair jingled as she moved.
“Want to go fishing by the stream with us?”
“You go ahead.” Ash slipped a hand into his pocket and touched the Misfortune Dice.
“I just remembered I still have some data to check.”
Once Green, Leaf, and Chloe disappeared down the winding stone path, Ash headed in the direction Goh had gone.
The Misfortune Dice had no distance limit, but Ash still wanted to see the results for himself.
Ash moved through the dense woods, trying not to make too much noise.
Dry branches cracked beneath his feet.
He kept his eyes on Goh up ahead.
Thankfully, Goh hadn’t noticed him.
Ash decided it was time.
He took a deep breath and pulled the Misfortune Dice from his pocket.
Then he threw it and watched it tumble through the air.
With a soft ding, the die hit the ground.
Six.
At almost the same moment, a dark cloud drifted across the clear sky and blocked the sunlight.
Goh looked up in confusion.
Before he could react, a Beedrill burst from the nearby trees and charged straight at him.
Goh had accidentally stepped on a Weedle, provoking the Beedrill protecting it.
Then another Beedrill appeared.
And another.
“Ah!
Damn it!”
Goh went pale and scrambled away from their attacks, cursing as he ran.
Ash hid behind a tree and watched.
This was already worth it.
Goh ran for his life without paying attention to where he was going.
His foot suddenly dropped into a hole.
He pitched forward and landed face-first in the mud.
Dirt and leaves covered his face and clothes, leaving him looking ridiculous.
Ash struggled not to laugh and kept watching.
After all, he had rolled a six.
There was no way that was all, right?
The furious Beedrill certainly weren’t finished.
They circled above the hole, their wings buzzing loudly and stirring the surrounding leaves.
A larger Beedrill let out a piercing cry.
The rest immediately swarmed Goh.
They stabbed at him with the sharp stingers on their forelegs and abdomen.
Goh’s screams echoed from the hole.
“Ah!
Help!
Damn Beedrill!
Stay away!”
Fear and desperation filled his voice.
Ash poked his head out from behind the tree to get a better look.
Goh was curled up in one corner of the hole with his hands covering his head.
Several swollen red marks had already appeared across his body from the Beedrill stings.
His clothes had been torn into strips, and he looked both terrified and humiliated.
“Haha.
Serves you right for being so arrogant,” Ash muttered.
The Beedrill still weren’t finished.
They kept attacking as if Goh hadn’t suffered enough yet.
“He isn’t actually going to get stung to death, is he?”
Ash frowned.
He hated what Goh had done in the original story, but if he really died here…
That would be letting him off way too easily!
The system’s mechanical voice spoke inside Ash’s mind.
[Please rest assured, Host.
Characters who affect the plot cannot die.]
Ash exhaled.
“Oh.
Good.
Then there’ll be plenty more chances to mess with him later.”
He leaned back against the tree and relaxed.
When he looked over again, the Beedrill were still attacking, but Goh seemed to be getting used to the pain.
At least, his screams weren’t as loud anymore.
Just as Goh reached his limit and his consciousness began to fade, hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Professor Oak finally appeared.
“Stop!
That’s enough!”
Professor Oak tried to calm the enraged Beedrill while pulling out a Poké Ball.
White light flashed.
A massive Arcanine appeared.
Its muscular body tensed as it faced the swarm.
Ash watched closely.
Its Ability was probably Intimidate.
“Arcanine, use Flamethrower!” Professor Oak ordered.
Arcanine opened its mouth and released a blazing stream of fire toward the Beedrill.
The intense heat distorted the air.
The Beedrill pulled back from the flames.
They circled overhead a few more times, crying out in frustration before finally giving up and flying away.
Goh crawled out of the hole.
His hair was a mess.
Red, swollen sting marks covered his face and body, and his clothes were badly torn.
He leaned against a tree and gasped for breath.
Professor Oak walked over, clearly worried but also angry.
“What were you thinking, running into the forest alone and provoking a whole swarm of Beedrill?
Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
Goh lowered his head and avoided Professor Oak’s eyes.
He was ashamed and regretted what had happened.
Watching from nearby, Ash was a little disappointed that the show had ended so soon.
But the hour wasn’t over yet.
The misfortune was far from finished.
“Goh, you’d better enjoy what’s left.”
Ash returned to camp with a grin.
Leaf, Green, and Chloe were sitting together with the flowers they had picked, planning to weave them into flower crowns.
When they saw Ash, all three looked up and smiled.
“Ash, where did you go?
Come play with us!” Green called.
“Sure!”
Ash ran over and plopped down beside them.
For a while, their laughter filled the camp.
Goh wasn’t nearly as lucky.
Professor Oak had brought him back, and he limped through camp, still bitter about everything that had happened.
“Ah!”
A scream cut through the cheerful atmosphere.
The ground cracked beneath Goh’s feet.
Before he could react, the earth gave way and he dropped into a hole.
He vanished so quickly that for a moment, only his terrified face remained visible near the opening.
“Diglett!” someone shouted.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A Diglett popped out of the hole.
Its small pink nose twitched as it glared at the person who had disturbed its home.
“Diglett!
Diglett!”
More cries came from all around them.
Dozens of angry Diglett burst out of the ground.
What looked like an ordinary patch of grass was actually sitting above a huge network of tunnels the Diglett had dug over time.
And Goh had stepped right into their territory.
Goh’s screams mixed with the Diglett’s angry cries throughout the camp.
The Diglett showed no mercy.
Some rammed into his backside with their heads, while others grabbed his pant legs and tugged at them.
By the time they were done with him, Goh was covered in dust and dirt.
His already torn clothes looked even worse, and several blades of grass were stuck in his hair.
He looked like he’d been dragged through a garbage dump.
Professor Oak shook his head and called for someone to help pull Goh out.
Then he took out some Pokémon food and began calming the angry Diglett.
Their anger slowly faded.
One by one, the Diglett disappeared back into their tunnels, and the camp finally became peaceful again.